The Last One
by MegaDarkly
Summary: Realization struck Nagato at Naruto's words. In his last moments, Nagato awakens Naruto's Rinnegan in an effort to atone for his mistakes. Now, unknown to Naruto and Konan, the last pair of Jiraiya's students are bound together by a higher calling to change the world for peace. This... is a bond like no other. True NarutoXKonan. Finally Updated! 1/7/15 7/1/15
1. Chapter 1: Survivor

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The pairing was my idea though.**

**REVISED! 3/28/12**

**Hello everyone. This is my first Naruto Fanfic. **

**I was a little disappointed at the lack of Konan X Naruto Fanfictions that were scattered here and there that were either pointless one shots or stories that never went anywhere( The author never went past Chapter one.) I am also VERY surprised that no one ever thought of the idea as I did.**

**Anyway, this is not a pairing just to make a pairing story. This story is actually almost a "This could've happened" story. They had all of the pieces there. No one did anything about it. Anyway, Just tell me what you think through constructive criticism. I will gladly accept any information about the Naruto universe. **

**Get ready, because I plan on making this a story of epic proportions.**

**One last thing, READ & REVIEW please.**

**Now on to the story…**

**Thoughts**: _'Thoughts'_

**Speaking**: "Speaking"

**The Last One**

Chapter 1: Survivor

"I think… I understand, Naruto," Nagato wheezed looking at the blonde haired ninja.

Nagato's body lay defenseless in front of the Konoha-nin, moving up and down from light breathing. Naruto looked at him sternly, quickly going through everything that went on in his mind. After hearing Nagato's explanation for his doings, Naruto knew what he was going through, but the Konoha-nin knew that it was the wrong way to go about the situation. Naruto Finally broke Nagato's outer shell.

"That is why I have decided on a few things." Nagato returned, "I will revive everyone I've killed recklessly. But before I do that, there is something you need to know."

Naruto gazed upon the nearly lifeless man, now curious as to what the Rain-nin had to say. Konan looked at her friend as well, keeping quiet so she would not interrupt him. Her face was solemn, but unsure of which emotion she needed.

"There are things about your family that you don't know. Things that were so dangerous that most of your relatives were killed in order to prevent chaos," Nagato croaked. He looked at the boy whose facial features softened from confusion.

"The truth is, your family held a very powerful bloodline trait Naruto. This trait was so deadly that during the Second Great Shinobi War, everyone made an attempt to kill them."

"Well, if they're all dead, then how does that relate to me?" The blonde-nin bluntly asked.

Nagato looked down at the boy, and then curled his lips upward. "Two of them survived the war Naruto."

The Leaf-nin widened his eyes upon that response. "Y-You mean, my father was a survivor!"

Nagato slightly chuckled which followed by a hacking cough. Once he settled down, he continued. "No Naruto. Your mother was the one who survived."

"My… Mother?" Naruto questioned.

Nagato received glances from both Naruto and Konan, but merely shrugged them off with an indifferent composure.

"Yes Naruto. Kushina Uzumaki was a survivor from the Shinobi War Clan Massacre. Her abilities were unawakened during the time of the massacre so no one could tell her descent. She then moved to Konoha to hide from the killings and turned herself into a Konoha ninja."

Naruto nodded at that, but then he realized something. "Wait. If two of them survived, then who is the other one?"

Nagato looked at him with his breathing still ragged from chakra consumption. Then he dropped the seriousness that etched across his face to let out the gentlest smile he could muster and replied.

"I am, Naruto."

Both Konan and the blonde haired Jinchuuriki face faulted at the Rinnegan Wielder.

"What? Nagato! Is this true?" Konan asked the red headed man, who willingly shook his head in compliance.

"Yes Konan, Naruto is my little cousin."

The Konoha-nin didn't know what to say about all of this new evidence. Everything he knew about himself and his heritage brought itself into a new light. All he did was drop to his knees and bang his hand on the floor. A few tears shed from his face followed by chants of "Why?" and "I can't believe it." obviously from the sudden realization that had taken place.

"Don't be sad Naruto. It was supposed to happen this way."

Naruto looked up at Nagato with teary eyes, who gave him a comforting smile. He then got back up and wiped his face with his sleeve feeling as if a boy shouldn't cry.

"Oh, so that's why you wanted him last. Is that why we never caught him as well?" Konan asked unsure of the situation. Nagato shook his head in agreement.

"That and because Naruto is just so powerful," A slight snicker escaped his lips, "Any information received about Naruto, I simply destroyed. I didn't want my cousin treated like some animal, like he had been treated for most of his life."

Naruto's eyes widened again at the statement, "You've-"

"That's right. I have been watching you ever since you became a ninja. I've watched you grow into what you are today and to say I'm impressed is an understatement. For a while, I thought you would've rebelled, but you kept your head held high. I guess… I guess that's something I envy about you."

The red head lowered his view from wandering eyes and softly continued, "That is why, before I go, I have something to give you. Approach me Naruto."

The Konoha-nin was wary, but did as was told by taking reluctant steps closer to the man. Naruto heard a soft click on the left and right arm braces that held Nagato's hands. His arms trembled weakly as he tried to release them from the arm cuffs. Finally, he extracted his hands only to have them flop to his sides. The blonde ninja climbed onto the mechanized, four legged vehicle getting within reach of the Rinnegan wielder.

Nagato smiled at the boy before him as he lifted his arms. He brought them up in great difficulty, placing his thumbs on both cheeks underneath the eyes of the Konoha-nin's face. He then placed both his index fingers and middle fingers on Naruto's temples, gaining full attention of the boy.

"This may hurt a little at first, but it will go away in a moment." Nagato assured him, only to get a frightened look from the Leaf Ninja.

The red head then closed his eyes and began chanting a mantra, producing a lavender chakra through his fingers that seeped into Naruto's skin. Not even a moment later, the blonde ninja began screaming in agony.

"Gyack!" Naruto choked out as the mantra continued. More chakra dispersed through his fingers as Nagato proceeded with the chant, which made small steam formations begin to appear around said fingers.

Naruto closed his eyes as a burning sensation swept through his entire body. He felt like he was in his own personal hell as Fire seemed to invisibly consume the boy making all of his nervous system react to the painful feeling. This lasted for another few seconds before, finally, Nagato released his grip, in turn making Naruto fall to the floor with steam protruding from the Akatsuki's former finger placements. The Konoha-nin made several attempts to vomit, but never succeeded as the feeling died slowly. Naruto fought to get back up by fumbling a few times on his feet, but managed to reach full height again. His eyes stung to the degree that he had to keep them shut for the time being.

A minute or so passed as Nagato started up again. "Alright, Naruto. You can open your eyes now."

The blonde haired boy opened them and blinked a few times before fully focusing again. Nagato looked at Naruto and gave him a slight smile in confidence.

"I have awakened your ability. The ability of the Rinnegan. It is not a full Rinnegan because you have not mastered it yet, but I don't see a problem with you increasing it to its fullest potential."

Naruto looked at his reflection on one of the metal braces and realized that two violet rings had replaced his irises entirely. The scene caused him to jump back in amazement, in turn making him stumble over his own feet. Nagato started talking once Naruto jumped up to his feet again.

"Yes, your eyes have turned to Rinnegan, but it's never permanently that way. You can turn it on or off whenever you use it, sort of like the Byakugan from the Hyuuga clan."

The blonde-nin shook his head as the Rinnegan faded into his normal ocean blue eyes. Konan was speechless. The boy who had fought against them for so long was, in actuality, Nagato's cousin, another holder of the Rinnegan.

'_Nagato must have full trust in this boy. I have never seen him like this before.' _Konan thought as she gazed upon the two.

A few minutes passed as Nagato finally spoke up.

"Naruto, I am sorry about what I have done. Hopefully you will use the Rinnegan better than I have."

The blonde haired ninja looked at Nagato, and then gave him a sad smile.

"By the time I have revived everyone, I will hopefully have moved on to a better place. My own peace."

"Wait! No! You can't die!" Konan shouted as she watched the man prepare himself.

He looked at her solemnly, as if he was contemplating something, then gave her a happy glare.

"It has to be done Konan. I was foolish. I killed thousands of people trying to find an answer. Now I am paying for my actions."

"No! Please! I need you! I'll have no one left if you're gone!" She returned.

"Naruto?" Nagato called to him completely ignoring his friend.

The blonde Jinchuuriki met the operators gaze.

"Take care of Konan for me."

Naruto nodded his head and watched as the Rinnegan wielder made a few hand signs to pour the rest of his chakra into the move.

It took well over a minute before they witnessed Nagato's body go limp and all signs of life fade. Naruto sighed as he recalled everything that occurred previously. His very last family member died before his very eyes. A family member he never even knew he had. It brought on a feeling of remorse, which caused him to stifle tears by blinking a few times.

Konan lay silent as she took in the information as well. Her best friend of many years revealed evidence that she never knew or didn't bother to put the pieces together. How could she have missed it? How could Nagato not tell her something of this importance? They were friends right?

'_I do remember something that happened when we received data regarding the nine tails.' _She looked at the blonde ninja falling into a not so distant memory.

===Flashback===

Pain held himself primarily in the desk room of his house in Amegakure, assorting papers and scrolls alike on whereabouts of Jinchuuriki and other information such as conditions of other villages and teammates of the Akatsuki. His office was rather dark, only lit up by a small lamp to his left. Bookshelves littered his office with hundreds of books old and new and he had one massive wall sized window looking out into the entire village. He came across the two-tailed Jinchuuriki report and began glancing through the scroll looking for keywords containing any clues to her whereabouts.

A knock rapped on his door followed by a grunt from Pain signaling entrance to his office.

"Uhm… Pain-Taichou?" Konan asked the orange haired Akatsuki.

"Speak your matters." He replied busy looking over the scroll.

"I have information regarding the nine tails Jinchuuriki." She returned, pulling a scroll from a pouch underneath her cloak and placing it on his desk.

Pain widened his eyes placing them on the scroll.

"The… Nine-Tails?"

He reached his hand laying it upon the wrapped paper. Then, with a swift motion, he opened the scroll. This was the first information he received of the Nine-Tail fox, so he wanted to read it as quickly as possible. Information came in the following:

**REPORT**

**Jinchuuriki: Uzumaki Naruto**

**Age: 12 yrs old**

**Demon: Kitsune**

**# Of Tails: Total of nine**

**Village of Origin: Konohagakure**

**Last Known Location: Konohagakure**

"What?" '_No, it can't be._' He looked over it, and then over it a second time, a third time, even a forth time until it finally sank in.

"Uzumaki…" The name dripped from his tongue in astonishment. He hadn't heard that name in nearly thirteen years and to say he was shocked was a poor choice of words. He was speechless.

'_Another Uzumaki is still alive? Another Uzumaki?_' He mused to himself.

He had received word of Kushina's death, but never knew she bore a son, Much less a son that now possessed the Jinchuuriki.

"Is something wrong?" Konan, confused in the situation, asked her long time friend, only to receive a sharp glare from Pain.

"Send for Itachi Immediately!"

Konan felt paralyzed from the sudden outburst for a second only to shrug it off and disappear into paper. She appeared with Itachi moments later who gave Pain a silent stare.

"Itachi, there is a matter that has to be handled with utmost importance."

The Uchiha still seemed unphased while quietly eyeing the head Akatsuki. "Continue."

"There is a boy from Konohagakure that possesses the Kyuubi. I'm sure you have knowledge about the layout of Konoha."

Itachi lightly nodded.

"That's why I need you to keep a full eye on this boy. Any new information you receive comes directly to me. I don't want anything happening to him. I want to be the one to face him. I'm sure you have an _understanding_ as to why I'm doing this?"

The Uchiha raised a slight eyebrow from the barely noticeable signals the Akatsuki leader was gesturing. Konan didn't notice them, but Itachi very well did. He knew exactly what Pain was talking about as if it were a mutual feeling that no one else could understand.

"Understood, Pain-Taichou." And with that, the Uchiha disappeared by Shunshin.

The orange haired Akatsuki sat back down at his desk, unaware that he got up from his seat to relay the message. Konan looked at her friend unsure of what was going on in his mind, but she knew that deep down something was troubling him. They've known each other for a long time, so it's not as if anything Pain does would go unnoticed by her. Feeling she needs to find the underlying cause of the situation, Konan decides to ask him.

"Pain?" She asked him with uncertainty in her voice.

"What is it Konan?" The Akatsuki head returned.

She walked a little closer to him and held her weight on her palm to his desk. "Is there a problem with the Nine-Tails? You seem hesitant."

He stopped immediately what he was doing, which startled her slightly.

"Everything's fine Konan. No need to worry. He's just the strongest one is all." He gave her an assured smile, but she wasn't buying it.

"You think you can hide it, but I know there's s-"

"EVERYTHING'S FINE KONAN!" He shouted with more force than he wanted, which made the paper angel wince from the sudden noise.

"Well, if you ever need anyone to talk to, I am here Nagato." She told the man while giving him a sad look.

"I know Konan, I know." Pain replied breathlessly.

He got up, walked over to the wall-sized window, and began looking out into the rain as if something was there. It seemed like he wanted to talk about it, but he just didn't have the heart to. Konan could feel his sadness radiating from him. She knew something was hurting inside of Pain. A new anguish that made him second-guess a couple of things. Maybe it was something she could help with. They **have** been friends since they were kids, so there shouldn't be anything that they couldn't tell each other. However, there was something that he didn't want to reveal to his friend, which left her slightly confused. Finally, she concluded that nothing else said could change his mind about it so she asked one final question.

"Need me for anything else, Pain-Taichou?" She asked reluctantly.

"You're dismissed." He called.

"Yes sir." The purple haired Akatsuki responded walking out of the door. She turned her head one last time to look at Pain, who was still gazing our into the rain filled city lost in thought. She then lowered her head slightly and softly closed the door.

===End Flashback===

After she remembered that, she felt like a total idiot. All of that time she had to figure it out and she fell completely oblivious to it. Then her gaze turned back to Nagato. Her friend from umpteen years was dead. Her last friend from the trio, which now consisted of one, was dead. The realization finally hit her. Then for the first time since the war, she began to cry.

She slumped to her knees and pushed her hands to the floor, a tear or two rolled from her cheeks as she continued to lightly sob. She didn't know what to do anymore. Her friend Nagato was head of the organization ever since Yahiko died. She could continue as leader, but there was no reason to continue a society that had no purpose anymore, since the previous owner defected himself before he passed on. She sobbed even more each time she thought about his death.

Naruto watched her sulk in her own misery and started to feel sorry for the lowly Rain-nin. He didn't know what to do for Konan since she was once the enemy, but something told him that deep down inside, she too was human just like him. He walked over to her feeling the need to console her because he has been there before and he knows how it feels. Then she began to shout hysterically.

"KEEP AWAY FROM ME!" She began worming her way to get farther from him.

"Konan, I understand how you feel. How-"

"SHUT UP! You understand **NOTHING**!" That last word had so much disgust in each syllable that it spat from her mouth like acid. Naruto tried to move closer but she still wormed even farther until she reached a wall continuing to sob with her face turned in an angle that blocked Naruto's view to see her cry.

"STAY AWAY!" Konan yelled making Naruto wince. He knew she **really **didn't want him to keep away from her, but she really wasn't the type he would just up and hug either. He didn't know her too well, but Nagato did tell him to take care of her, so he went for second best.

"You think I didn't cry when Jiraiya sensei died? I don't think that pain will every go away. Jiraiya sensei was my godfather!"

He began to feel enraged the more he thought about it. It was something he wanted to get off his chest for a very long time. He could not believe he was actually saying it, but there he was on autopilot, speaking whatever his heart felt now.

"He taught me almost everything! I wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for him!"

She still sobbed on the wall not saying a word, which made Naruto vent even more. He slapped his hands on his face from the frustration then screamed.

"I JUST KILLED MY COUSIN! MY LAST FAMILY MEMBER I WILL EVER KNOW IS DEAD! I'M ALONE JUST AS MUCH AS YOU ARE DAMN IT!" He then kicked a stone across the cave making it ricochet from the wall until it landed several yards away.

After that response, Konan looked up at him. Naruto was actually crying again, but his face wasn't sad. No, he had an enraged air about him now, something she had never seen before, which frightened her a bit.

"Try living with no family your whole life and knowing everybody hates your guts. It'll give you a good kick in the teeth."

That scenario seemed familiar to her. Then she remembered Nagato and his life. The sudden revelation brought Konan wide eyed again. Nagato and Naruto weren't too much different. Nagato lost his parents in the war when he was young. The Rinnegan he had made people shun him for what he was. Then she reviewed Naruto. From what she knew, His parents died when he was a baby and everybody shunned him for the Kyuubi sealed away inside of his body. Her mouth then dropped open upon that fact.

"You're right."

"Huh?" Naruto responded. He didn't think it would stick to her this quickly, so it threw him for a loop.

"You are absolutely right, Naruto Uzumaki." She got up from her position using the cave wall to prop herself up from the floor. She wasn't crying, but the tearstains and running mascara proved she did at one point. "There are people who have suffered far worse than I have. I shouldn't embarrass myself with such trivial things." She then wiped her face with her palms to remove the emotional stains that covered her cheeks.

Naruto's demeanor changed toward her after that. Noticing the way she was now, it made him finally realize that war does things to people. It was almost as if she was a scared child in an older body. He then sauntered himself over to the Rain-nin and gently placed his left hand on her shoulder.

"Look Konan, I know it hurts, but there is no reason to beat yourself up about it. The only thing you can do now is keep moving forward, you know?"

She dared a look into his eyes and saw a fire swelling deep within those pools of ocean blue. The same fire someone she once loved had at one point and just for a split second, she thought it **was** this person. An unnoticed smile grew on her facial features. Her smile was not enough to show appreciation for Naruto's attempt to console her, but just enough to show she concluded in her mind about something.

"Well…" Naruto started scratching his cheek with his index finger, breaking eye contact by embarrassment. "I could… Ask if you could… mmn, I don't know… Join Konoha or something."

That statement broke her ruminations. The sheer thought of her joining the Leaf seemed preposterous. She was an S-Rank criminal who was in the most feared organization of the land. Her smile faded as she shook her head in rejection.

"As sweet as the offer sounds, I don't think I can." She lowered her head and moved a few feet from Naruto.

"But Konan, I could tell them that you changed your mind about your ways or you helped me w-"

"No, Naruto, I just can't." She interrupted staring him in the eyes. "If I tried to leave to your village they would only ask for my execution."

Naruto stared at her in disbelief. She seemed like she wanted to go. He could see the sadness in her eyes even though it wasn't apparent at the moment. Nevertheless, even though there was sadness, her lips seemed to say something else to reject the boy.

"But,"

"No buts." Konan retorted disrupting his sentence again. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to."

She turned to leave the cave, only to receive an angry look from the blonde-nin.

"But I'm supposed to protect you!" Naruto burst clenching his fists.

Konan stopped dead in her tracks. A gasp entered her lungs as once again, another thing about this boy reminded her of Yahiko. The orange haired ninja had said that to Konan one last time before he died. The girl was very distraught about the death of her teammate, since she did have a crush on him after all. But after Nagato replaced him as Akatsuki leader, neither one of them spoke about it again. The purple haired Nin then looked at Naruto, who flustered looking for an answer.

"Not like that! I meant, Nagato told me to protect you so…" His sentence cut itself short as she walked over and gently wrapped her arms around him. It wasn't an affectionate hug. It wasn't even a friendly hug. It was just a simple hug of compassion. Just as soon as he got used to the feeling, she quickly pulled back making sure to signal to him that it was not a pass. While her arms came from around his chest, she held out something to him.

"Flowers?" The blonde Nin asked.

Konan was holding a bouquet of origami flowers. Naruto had never seen anything like them before so he was a little curious.

"It's a sign of friendship and trust." Konan told the boy before he grabbed them. He eyed them studiously alternating between her and the flowers. "I can't go with you Naruto; I have another village to look after." She continued as the ex-Akatsuki began to take her leave.

Naruto fumbled quickly trying to think of what to say. "W-well, will I ever see you again?"

She turned her head to eye him. A smile came over her features as she did a Shunshin by paper from her spot leaving an anxious and confused Naruto.

**Well Dang! That sums up Chapter 1 to a tee. It was supposed to be longer because I have more written on regular pieces of paper. But if I added that to this chapter, I would have an even bigger first chapter that would have been double the size of this file. Then I thought, "Well since the other half can be a chapter all to its own, I might as well make it a separate chapter altogether." Therefore, that's what I did. **

**This pairing was my idea originally. I thought it would be sweet to see Konan in a new light. As I said before, there weren't any Konan X Naruto stories on FanFiction,.net worth mentioning. I think that after looking through a BUNCH of Naruto fics, I only saw three. THREE! This was after going through countless NaruSaku, NaruHina, and NaruIno pairings. I don't have anything against those pairings because I enjoy seeing the many different ways the other authors try to put them together. But there is just no way that people are so decisive about those three couples to leave out any of the better ones that could go farther than those. Hopefully, this Fanfic will give the KonanXNaruto fandom justice that was deserved OH so long ago. Like I said previously, I would appreciate constructive criticism for my story. Flamers will be rightfully ignored. **

**Review if you want. I think the more Reviews I get, the more appreciated my story is. I'm going to finish the story even if you review or not, but it's nice to see people make the effort to write a few nice words.**


	2. Chapter 2: Retrieval

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I did originate the idea of the pairing.**

**REVISED! 2/16/12**

**Hello again. Earlier, I was scared to end the first chapter there, because I thought the chapter wasn't long enough. Even so, that was where I wanted to end it in the first place. Then for the first time that I wrote it on the computer, I checked the word count to realize I was 4000+ words already! I guess you tend to write more when the story is more compelling. Then again, I also changed my writing style to feel a little more detailed in the story. If you want to know how I wrote before, Check my profile and look at my Plausible Mission story. That story is undergoing development in later chapters as well, giving me plenty of time to do these stories correctly. **

**Anyway, Onward to the story…**

**Note: Jutsu translations will vary. **

**Thoughts: **_'Thoughts'_

**Speaking: **"Speaking"

**Chapter 2: Retrieval**

It had been nearly three days since the great revival of Konoha. Since the day Naruto found out that he was the last Rinnegan user. This came as a shock to him and caused him to reflect upon his life and what he really knew about himself. To be honest, he hasn't been acting as himself ever since he came back to the Leaf village. Sure he enjoyed the celebration after his return to Konoha, but the celebration seemed hollow. Should they really be having a victory party from the death of his cousin?

Most people, who were either hammering walls or cementing floors, stopped immediately what they were doing to greet the savior of the village. As he walked through town, the village acknowledged cheerfully to the Uzumaki, either giving him a pat on the shoulder or telling him simple words of encouragement. A lot of times, there will even be little kids that would encircle him and ask him to play. Sometimes he would agree, but most recently he began to decline them saying that he was too busy at the moment. He really wasn't busy at the time; he was just in no mood to join the children in their time to fool around. Ichiraku wouldn't be built for another day or two so he scuffed his feet all the way to his newly built apartment that was in place of the original. The entire village contributed to his apartment by making it slightly bigger than the original. There was an additional room and an expanded kitchen. Even the bathroom saw an increase in size as it nearly doubled in width, leaving plenty of leg room to walk around. He unlocked the door and slowly trudged inside.

The scent of fresh paint and newly cut wood filled his nostrils as he walked through his recently acquired home. He looked to his left and right and saw the brand new furniture and food that loaded his house. The new food piled to the ceiling with ribbons, cans, condiments and many different types of homemade food. All of this food would take him a whole week and a half to eat even a fraction of it. Honestly, he started feeling overwhelmed by the amount of attention. Something you wouldn't expect from the supposed number one hyperactive ninja everyone claimed him to be. He could also understand why the people were so giving. The people were indebted to him and had to repay him somehow for saving their lives.

So with nothing else to do, he sat down and took a rest on his new sofa. He placed his palm underneath his chin and stared out of the wide window that overlooked the street. People were still busily working on other buildings. Seeing the people doing this made him think of an anthill. Even though the ant hill gets destroyed, the ants always come out and rebuild as if nothing ever happened. Then his attention fell on the origami flowers. He placed them in a vase and put it on the windowsill the day before as a reminder of the alliance he and Konan now share with the Leaf and Rain.

"Alliance huh?" He asked looking at the blue flowers. He twiddled them between his index and middle fingers staring at them blankly.

*-xxxxxxxxxxOoOoOOOoOoOO

"Give me what I seek!" Tobi/Madara asked the half beaten girl. "You will gain nothing but death by fighting me."

Konan looked at him clenching her arm trying to staunch the pain. Her body tingled in agony with each breath she took. The chakra reserves in her body depleted her energy to move too vigorously as it was a chore to even keep on her feet while she stood there encompassed with paper. Tobi/Madara came for Nagato's body to simply steal the Rinnegan and obtain the secrets and uses of the ability, but was welcomed with a deathly encounter with the blue haired ex-Akatsuki.

"I will **NEVER** let you take him!" Her fury began to overweigh her safety, but she didn't care. As long as she kept her friend away from the hands of the grabber, she would risk her life to make sure nothing was disturbed.

"FOOL! Do you know who I am?" He bellowed.

"I don't care who you are! I will die before I let you take him!" A fire burned in her eyes as she said that. Her will was flaming fiercely.

The orange masked man looked at her for a few seconds, and then smirked under his mask.

"So be it." He formed a few hand signs and released an unavoidable fireball jutsu. It went so fast that Konan couldn't get out of the way even if she wanted to. The flames surrounded her body and burned her skin causing her to scream in excruciating pain. Her final resistance was over run as she fell limply to the ground.

Tobi/Madara looked at the girl, and then placed his eyes on Nagato with delight. He released his space time jutsu and sucked in Nagato's body to another dimension by his Sharingan. Just when he was about to leave, A quick figure made an attempt to attack Tobi by ramming through the man with a spiraling sphere of chakra. The masked man went intangible as the figure went straight through him causing the Rasengan to explode on the ground forming a crater with dust and debris taking the air. Tobi looked in the direction the person resided and saw a figure standing on the opposite end of the room. Konan staggered her head to look up and saw an orange blur appear in front of her. Her facial features softened slightly once she realized who it was.

"Naruto?" She asked weakly as the boy guarded her.

"Sorry it took me so long, Konan." The blonde-nin told her unwavered. He was steadily leering at Tobi/Madara, making sure the Uchiha didn't make any early starts.

The orange masked Akatsuki stared at the boy. He felt something different about him as if his power increased two fold.

'_This… feeling.' _Madara thought still receiving glares from the Konoha-nin. _'This boy… This power… How did he get so much stronger in such a short amount of time?'_

He looked at the boy again and this time his eyes lingered onto Naruto's.

"WHAT?" Madara thought out loud. "WHAT IS THIS?"

Their eyes interlocked each others gaze as Tobi found himself staring into the boy's eyes. The Rinnegan. Madara then, for the first time in a while, felt a little fear for his safety. The orange masked man knew he was no match for Naruto in his current state as Tobi did not have the Rinnegan yet. He needed a viable excuse to make his leave because if the Akatsuki made one false move, the show was over. He looked to Naruto and calmly spoke.

"It is not our time to fight, boy." Tobi answered taking baby steps away from the Konoha-nin. He already accomplished his objective, so there was no need to fight the blonde. Then with a wispy sound, he disappeared by using his space time jutsu.

Naruto clenched his fists, but let it go as he thought he would never be able to catch Madara now or he didn't want to get into a place where Madara had the advantage and could easily take out the blonde-nin. The Rinnegan faded from his eyes as he turned his attention to Konan. She had fallen unconscious from the chakra consumption and burn marks scattered all over her body. Her cloak was torn in many places and her hair was slightly singed on the ends. Blood fell from her mouth and dirt marks littered her body as well. A melancholy emotion overtook his features. When he looked at her, the sight of a nearly lifeless person laying on her deathbed, it made his stomach cringe. No one should have to suffer like this.

"Don't worry, Konan, I'll get you somewhere safe." He hefted her bridal style and found her to be a little lighter than he thought, but shook that distraction as he dashed for his life.

*****OoOooOOoOooOOOO

Konan felt weightless as she laid there, letting her consciousness roam freely. She felt as if she had a fever and couldn't get up because she was too weak. Her fingertips felt cold against her face as she basked in the cool sensation it gave her. Then to her left, a shadowy figure came over and laid a cool rag on her forehead. She calmed even more and let out a relaxing sigh as the rag permeated the icy feeling through her forehead.

She looked over to her right a little and saw a spiky haired shadow. The silhouette looked over her with a solemn face, like he was hoping the girl would wake. The figure seemed like he knew her, but her roaming conscious made it seem like she knew him as well. Konan tried to get a better view of the boy by turning her head more in his direction. Just then, her senses suddenly fell sharp as she remembered who he was. She began to slightly tear up as she called his name.

"Yahiko!" She shouted tearing out of the bed.

Ignoring the dropped rag, she wrapped her arms around the figure who accepted without hesitation by embracing the girl. She sat there for a moment continuing her hug and silently sobbing. A minute or so passed as the figure started talking. He seemed hesitant, but needing to say something.

"Uhm… Konan-san?" The shadow asked. "I'm glad you're happy that I saved your life, but… do you have to hug so tightly?"

Her thought processes terminated as she slowly drew her head up from the figure's shoulder. She knew whose voice that was all too well as in her arms sat a confused and flushed Naruto. She recalled what happened and not a split second later, she jerked away, as a slight blush filled her cheeks from the already somewhat feverish face.

"I-I'm sorry… I thought… Never mind." Her lips pursed as her sight fell on the bed.

Naruto looked at her and then looked at his arms. That feeling he felt from Konan when he held her was something he always wanted to feel. He had also wished to know what it would feel like to be loved like Konan seemed to have showed to him. For the moment, she seemed to be in a state of longing for the boy, which left him feeling a little sad about the sudden jerk away from the girl. If only he could wrap his arms around her again.

'_Wait a minute! What am I thinking? GYAH! Pull yourself together Naruto' _He said shaking his head. He then pinched and pulled his two cheeks apart to try and erase the memory and thoughts that began to plague his mind. _'You don't like Konan-san! You can't! She's like WAY older than you! Just remember, you still have Sakura-chan to worry about. Yeah that's right.' _

"Naruto-san?" Konan asked quietly.

"Hm?" Naruto glanced back at her, repressing any memories that floundered in his mind.

"Where am I?" She returned in the same tone as before.

"Oh, well, we're in Konoha Hospital!" He replied cheekily.

"K-KONOHA!" She exclaimed. "But how?"

"Well." He started while scratching his whisker marks, "It's a long story."

**=======FLASHBACK========**

Tsunade sat in her recovery bed in the Konoha hospital. After fighting Pain, she seemed to have fallen into a coma from the long and painful fight that fell in the village. Her thoughts were a little hazy about what actually happened so if anyone asked her about what took place, she wouldn't give him or her a clear answer. When she awoke in her hospital bed, Shizune and many others filled in the details in what occurred previously. To say she was surprised that Naruto defeated Pain was an understatement. She was thrilled. It seemed that Naruto was filling Jiraiya's shoes, Not only by becoming a sage, but also in his personality as well. Depending on how long you are around a person, you tend to become more like them. In Naruto's case, he was almost a spitting image of Jiraiya's persona when the sage was younger, minus the perverted side.

But she didn't think on it for too long as the Godaime had a major headache that throbbed in her frontal lobes. It was a headache that made her want to smash her face with a hammer to get rid of the sensation. To see the nine tailed Jinchuuriki burst through the door only made matters worse.

"Hey, Granny Tsunade! I need your help!" He screamed as he roamed to her bed.

"Naruto? What's the meaning of this, barging into my room like a madman?" The Godaime asked a little irritated. The headache made her more irate than she would have been normally, but Naruto merely shrugged off the attitude by answering the reason why he was there.

"Well, you see, I have this problem." He fidgeted. "Well… I have this friend who is seriously injured and I need to get them to a room to be healed as soon as possible."

The Hokage looked at him like he was slightly idiotic. Usually people ask her for more King-like favors as in doing a mission or asking to retrieve something of major significance, not something this mediocre.

"Why are you asking me? If someone is injured, then take them to the medical-nin. You don't have to ask my permission for something like that." She replied bothered by the seemingly stupid scenario.

"Uhm… that's the problem. If I tried to bring this person in, the medical-nin might reject her treatment."

Tsunade shot a questionable look to the boy. She was sort of intrigued by who Naruto had in his mind. It also made her a little nervous because the medical-nin usually heal anyone except enemies of the nation.

"Who do you actually have Naruto?" Her voice dropped lividness and had a more serious tone. She went straight to the point keeping Naruto from beating around the bush.

"Well, if I tell you, you have to heal her, promise?" The blonde-nin asked almost pleading.

"It doesn't work that way Naruto. Now tell me who it is." Tsunade snapped causing the Jinchuuriki to jump.

Naruto cast his head downward, and then reluctantly strolled over to Tsunade, making sure that no one except her could hear. Specifically keeping wandering ANBU ears from eavesdropping, he started to whisper. "Konan from the Akatsuki."

"WHAT?" She yelled that echoed through the whole place.

ANBU quickly filled the area, trying to figure out what was going on, "W-what's going on, Lady Hokage? Is there an intruder?"

"No, you idiots, leave this room at once. This is a matter between me and Naruto here." Tsunade interjected.

The ANBU felt a tad disappointed, but left as quickly as they came making sure not to enrage the Hokage. She kneaded her forehead, letting out a sigh as she did so. This was making her head hurt more than necessary. Naruto was always good at giving her a hard time and it seemed like he was doing it again. This time she was interested why he wanted her rehabilitated though, so she started a barrage of questions.

"Why do you want her healed Naruto? Does she have good information?" She asked a little confused. "It's not everyday that someone wants an enemy restored to their original status."

Naruto shook his head furiously. "No! She's a friend now! She's not even with the Akatsuki anymore."

Tsunade lowered her gaze. She felt bad for Naruto as he was still a teenager who didn't fully know the rules. "Look, just because she left the Akatsuki, it doesn't mean that all of her actions toward the Leaf village are forgiven."

Naruto frowned at that statement. "I know. It's just that Nagato told me to take care of her. I didn't know any other way than to bring her to the place that is the safest to me. Konoha." He told her softly.

"Wait a minute." The Hokage interrupted, "Nagato told you to take care of her?"

Naruto looked at her again and replied quickly. "Yeah, He trusted me with that request… and… I have to live up to it. So can you do it?" He was getting riled up from his words just thinking about it. The more he sat here, the closer Konan was to death and he had to idly wait by. She could be dead right now and he wouldn't even know it.

Tsunade was unaware of the anger and continued to ask more questions. "Well, why would he want you to protect her? He knew you were the enemy."

Naruto then clenched his fists. "Because Nagato and I came to an understanding with each other. He trusts me. Can you heal her?" He also gritted his teeth from the dragging on this conversation did.

"But, that still doesn't make any sense that he would trust you. You were the e-" Tsunade was cut off as Naruto finally had it.

"BECAUSE HE'S MY COUSIN! HE TRUSTS ME!" He finally screamed causing a great panic from Tsunade.

The Hokage's eyes widened intensely as she gained a view of Naruto. He was staring heatedly at her now, but that wasn't the reason why she was wide eyed. She looked into the Jinchuuriki's eyes and saw the two violet circles on each iris. She gained a full view of the Rinnegan Naruto now possessed. Her speech became hoarse as she felt a spell wash over her, but she automatically regained her composure feeling the need to say something.

"The RINNEGAN?" She choked out. The Godaime was at a loss. She just received information that she never knew and now it seemed that Naruto now obtained the Rinnegan as well.

"Yes," Naruto started. "His last gift to me was the Rinnegan. He gave it to me right before he died and entrusted me with the gift to protect his last best friend and find true peace." His gaze faltered as he found himself looking at the floor. "And that's what I'm going to do. I don't care if people hate me for doing this because if they were in my shoes they would do the same thing. So… Are you going to help me or not?"

Tsunade was speechless. Things were jumbled in her head and she couldn't think clearly. Maybe it was the headache that caused this mishap or maybe it was all of this new information that she never knew in the first place. It's not like anyone could give her a plausible answer. She tried to find something to say to the blonde haired Jinchuuriki only to open her mouth not say a word. It stayed like that for a few more seconds before Naruto turned his head to the door.

"Fine. If you won't help. I will find some one who will." He said his final words and went for the door.

Tsunade felt she had to say something, so she shouted his name. "NARUTO!"

"What?" He retorted lividly turning his head to her direction.

"Well… I can't do it because I am still in the hospital, but I think I can get someone else to help you."

What made her change her mind was never really clear, but Naruto seemed to have gotten through to her in some way. Tsunade didn't even know what words were coming from her own mouth. It almost made her dizzy by the event that was taking place as seeing Naruto this way seemed totally unlike him. He was usually happy and carefree, A little arrogant in some way too, but never hotheaded. The last time she saw him this way seemed to be when he was trying to bring her back to Konoha. Naruto had to fight Orochimaru along the way. He was mad that day too, but it looked like he only gets short tempered when he is protecting someone.

'_That's one of his better qualities.' _She thought deeply, but then automatically continued her response to Naruto. "ANBU, REPORT!" She yelled summoning the cloaked characters from the front door to the hospital room.

"Yes, Lady Hokage." The ANBU guards replied in unison.

"Bring in Haruno Sakura. Tell her to drop everything immediately and come to my room. It is an emergency." She answered forcefully.

"Yes Lady Hokage." They replied again in unison. They both instantly disappeared by Shunshin leaving Naruto and Tsunade alone again.

"You're helping me?" Naruto turned back to the lady who gave him a pitiful look of some sort.

"Yes. I don't know why, but… I trust your decision Naruto." She felt complacent with that answer as she scanned the room. "Don't worry; I will have a room secluded specifically for her in this infirmary so no one harms her." Tsunade responded shortly after. The look on her face changed as her eyes lingered to the ceiling with an annoyed gesture. "It's not going to be easy explaining this one."

When he heard the Godaime's robust statement, it made him feel like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

The Hokage blinked a couple of times when those words spoke from Naruto's mouth. She had never been spoken to so formally by him before. It was almost unnerving to hear the maturity from the blond-nin. "Yeah, yeah, I want a better explanation of everything that took place in your fight with Nagato, so don't forget." She finalized before Sakura and a few ANBU appeared.

"Yes, Milady?" Sakura asked completely oblivious to Naruto's appearance. The ANBU quickly disappeared afterward from a signal the Hokage passed to them.

"Sakura, I want you to accompany Naruto and do whatever he asks of you. No questions asked." Tsunade started.

"B-But, lady Tsunade." Sakura burst before she received a raising hand from the Hokage.

"I don't want to hear it." The Sannin interjected. "This is something that has to be handled with utmost importance. Whatever you were doing previously has to be done later. This is a matter between life and death." Tsunade told the girl unwavered.

Sakura looked over to Naruto who seemed like he wanted to run in whatever direction possible to do what Tsunade was asking. He had an ache in his eyes that wasn't really apparent unless you knew him for a long time. Sakura has known him for the last four years of her life, so it was not like things he felt would just slip by her. Concern washed over her face as she felt worried for her friend.

"Yes, Milady." Sakura finally replied.

Naruto couldn't hold it in anymore. He sprinted out of the door and ran to the desired location at breakneck speeds.

"W-WAIT! NARUTO!" Sakura shouted only to get no response from the blonde-nin. Naruto was in his own little world. He couldn't hear or say anything, since the only thing he was worried about at the moment was laying on the Konoha hospital rooftop. It was somewhere inconspicuous so no one would dare touch the person or even bother to look. It was getting harder for Sakura to keep up because Naruto was still running and didn't want to stop or showed any signs to. She tried calling him several more times, but the boy simply ignored her.

Once they reached the roof, Naruto took a sharp left and veered into a corner of the building dodging around vents and air conditioning units. He finally stopped and kneeled down next to a larger vent that had nothing around it. Sakura was confused, but only for a moment as Naruto dispelled a genjutsu to reveal a beaten and tattered Konan lying next to the vent. The ex-Akatsuki was barely breathing and looked as if she were clinging onto life by a single thread.

"Naruto, is this-" Sakura started, but stopped once she saw the Jinchuuriki's face.

He had a look of contempt to the girl as she lay there helpless. It was as if he was thinking hard about something. Then, without changing his gaze on the blue haired woman, he asked Sakura a question.

"Can you heal her?"

Each word seemed to cut through the air like a razor. He was dead serious about this. He really wanted an enemy of the nation healed. He didn't even really know this person too well, but he would heal her with no hesitation? She looked at him like he was doing something stupid and received no glares from him as his eyes were still fixated on the Rain-nin.

"Naruto, you can't be serious. She is the enemy. Why would you wa-" She abruptly stopped as she saw a tear fall from the boy's cheek.

"Because, I promised a friend." The boy replied hoarsely. "Please Sakura, Can you please heal her?"

His gaze did not leave the blue haired girls face. Sakura looked at her friend and then looked at the Rain-nin again as she contemplated for a second or two, not really knowing what was going on in the boy's head.

"Alright, Naruto, but we're going to have to remove her Akatsuki cloak and any other identifiable items, if we want to do this without any problems." She answered to the blonde-nin.

Naruto lightly nodded his head as he watched Sakura. Konan no longer had the light blue origami flower on her head, which may have fallen off previously from her encounter with Tobi, so Sakura went for her Akatsuki cloak instead. She pulled off the Rain-nin's cloak to reveal attire unseen. She pulled the red and black cloak to reveal a dark blue zip up robe that began zipping right above the navel and flared out around her waist. The robe also had no sleeves and left her back bare allowing easy mobility. His eyes followed Sakura's movements as she continued unclothing the other woman. The missing cloak also revealed skin tight pants that matched the robe in color, with a wrapped pouch below her hip. Of course the clothes she wore were torn and dirtied, but they were ignored as Sakura went up to remove all of Konan's piercings starting with her lip. Once she was through with that, the lifeless girl offered no resistance as Sakura finally removed her belly button piercings as well, leaving open holes on her bruised but fair skin.

"Now," Sakura started, "I will only restore her enough to keep her alive for now. The rest of the healing will have to be done in the hospital."

He made a silent agreement as Sakura then gently placed her hands on Konan's body, taking the proper steps any medical ninja would be required to do in extreme conditions. Naruto watched as a chakra with a greenish glow began quivering around the medic-nin's hands. Her eyelids fell as she examined the Rain-nin's damage.

"She has a couple of ruptured organs with four broken ribs and… one of those ribs has lodged itself into her heart." Sakura announced sadly. "If I pull it out now, she will bleed internally."

"So, what do we do? Will she live?" Naruto quietly asked in a tone not usually heard by the pink haired girl.

"Well, I can heal her ruptured organs and treat her burns, but we need a medic team to do the rest. Even with all of the things we know now about healing, it is kind of hard to say." She finalized. After taking a breath she continued. "All right, here goes nothing." Then with that, she began to heal the ex-Akatsuki.

Naruto fell silent as he resounded what Sakura told him. Konan was way more abysmal than he thought originally. The Rain-nin he was told to protect could actually die and there wouldn't be anything he could do about it, but she couldn't die now. If he learned anything about his fight with Nagato, then he would know that no matter what happens, always have hope. That was what Naruto believed to begin with, so what made him change his mind now? Nothing. Nothing at all. His attitude altered slowly as memories flooded his head of the struggles he went through as a kid. All of the trials and tribulations he faced kept beating him down and wanting him to stay that way, but Naruto's determination made him rise against every factor that was laid upon him.

Sakura stole a glance of his face change as he stood up, she could see the look in his eye. After that revelation of what he originally stood for, his face changed from one of sadness, to one of serious fortitude.

"She'll live… I just know it." He responded out loud. Of course, it wasn't really known whether or not she would live, but the boy didn't lose optimism. He was highly confident in his answer as he stared at the blue haired girl.

Sakura looked at her good friend, then glanced back down at the lowly Rain-nin. _'Naruto… What do you see in her?' _She thought apprehensively as she continued her treatment.

Konan's face slowly improved from its previous painful expression to a softer, calmer fashion. The burn marks also faded gradually as Sakura continued her Mystical Palm Technique, now keeping her focus solely on the ex-Akatsuki.

A few moments later, the pink haired medic-nin finished her treatment.

"I've done all I can for now." She started while lifting herself from the roof. "The rib will have to be done in the hospital because it takes more than one person for a job like that, okay?"

He mutely looked at her, and then turned his observation back to Konan. A slight smile grew on his features because of the noticeable improvements that were shown on the characters body. She now looked somewhat happier from all of the restoration that took place. Then, without hesitation, he picked up the blue haired ninja gingerly the same way as before and started back into the hospital.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked with a reached hand, but was once again denied recognition from the blonde haired boy. Her eyes wandered on the blonde ninja for a few moments before she heaved a sigh and followed suit.

-xxxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

The pitter patter of feet echoed off the hospital walls as the duo wandered aimlessly for a room to place Konan into. It kind of angered them that they did not have an escort, because they didn't know what room they were supposed to go to, that is, until a couple of ANBU appeared in front of them by Shunshin.

"This way." One of the black cloaked figures replied sternly.

Naruto and Sakura looked and nodded at each other in silent unison, then trailed behind the two black-ops members. They all reached a room at the end of another hall to the right and were welcomed with an operating table and several other medic-nin quietly waiting for their patient. It seemed as though the Hokage had kept her end of the bargain, so Naruto felt a little more appreciation toward the Sannin. There were also two other ANBU inside the emergency room, probably there to see that the recovery makes a success without any tampering or secret assassination attempts. Naruto slowly walked into the operating room and placed the Rain-nin's limp body carefully on the table. Not even a moment later, a few medic-nin began to operate on the ex-Akatsuki. Sakura then quickly filled them in on what she did and what was wrong with the woman before one of the other medical-nin walked over to both Naruto and Sakura and calmly shooed them out.

"Don't worry, we'll take it from here." She replied softly to both of the young Leaf-nin, closing the door behind their exit.

**=======End Flashback=======**

"I… see." Konan said quietly.

They had just finished a hospital lunch as the blonde Jinchuuriki slurped up whatever he had left of his soup after he finished his story. She looked down and noticed the bandages wrapped around her figure. She was almost mummified from the percentage that covered up most of her body. Most of these bandages seemed to be covering her recently burned areas as well even though she was healed earlier, maybe because the skin is fresh and far more sensitive than her skin was before. Her eyes fell on Naruto who gave her a foxy grin in return. It seemed that Naruto went out of his way to stay true to his promise that he made to Nagato. Even though she was sort of an enemy to him still, he tried his best to revive her and live up to his older cousin's wishes.

'_Maybe… I can trust him.' _Konan thought in her mind as she reflected upon previous occurrences. He seemed to be way more trustworthy than she thought originally. _'I don't understand him at all. He even revived an enemy of the nation at his village's expense. It doesn't make any sense, but… maybe it would be a good idea to get to know this boy as well.'_

__

**WHEW! Talk about a long chapter. It wanted to go on and on and on… Actually this one is supposed to be longer but cut the rest for the next chapter. Found a good spot to end it so yeah… **

**I was actually nervous when I first wrote it because I thought people might reject it, but it seems as though there IS a NaruKona fandom. LOL. And I thought I was the only one… :B**

**Anyway, here is the answer corner.**

**1: Remember, in my previous Author's note I said that I separated these two chapters. I hope this clears up the misconception xNamikazeKyuubix. :3**

**2: Vixenlive: You say her hair is blue. I see a lavender/purple color. Either way she still looks good, but I'll change it to blue. LOL. XD**

**3: SRIDHARAN RADHAKRISHNAN: Glad you like it. I just may do that. Thank you. :3**

**4: Kazeshuriken: Thanks and yes she was, but there are a lot of things still left unanswered in my story that I will get to later.**

**Story Question: How did Naruto know Konan was in danger?**

**REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3: Unstable Establishment

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**HEY ALL!**

**It's me again. I am glad to keep all of you satisfied. :3 I have been working hard to write the story as believable as possible (as far as love goes anyway), while maintaining the continuity of the Naruto Universe. Damn! I ****REALLY ****screwed up in some translations. Thanks to Chaos' review, I will never forget the Sannin and Sennin mix-up ever again. LOL. It took me all of two seconds to realize what he/she meant. San means three and Nin means Ninja. I already knew that and I didn't put that together.*Slaps forehead* I haven't really kept myself up to date with Naruto until only recently. To be honest, when I first started writing this story, I didn't know much between chapters 300 and 570 because I sort of fell out of the Naruto phase. But now, I am current with the progress it has made and even anxious to learn what happens next.**

**Anyway, please enjoy chapter three of this wonderfully odd story that should have REALLY happened. LOL. :D**

**Thoughts: **_'Thoughts'_

**Speaking: **"Speaking"

**Chapter 3: Unstable Establishment**

'_Maybe… I should get to know this boy.' _She thought as she turned her head to the blonde-nin.

"Naruto-san."

"Hm?" He replied back to her. His face was still cheeky, but it also had a look of interest as well.

"How long have I been in this infirmary?" She answered not even a second later.

"Oh. You've been here… going on three days now?" Naruto responded answering his rhetorical question and hers.

"Three days?" Konan asked herself. She has been in Konoha for three days and no one has started a riot or a mob demanding total annihilation of the girl. She was an Akatsuki member. Didn't they **want** her dead?

"How is this possible?" She asked in complete denial. The question caused an awkward look on Naruto as he turned sheepish and began rubbing the back of his head.

"Well," He started but then began fidgeting, "The village doesn't know yet. Only a handful of people know you are actually here, but they can't tell anybody. Not until we know exactly what to do about the situation." He finished, gazing around the room.

"Hmmm…" Was all she could say about that. It seemed as though her life was spared for the time being, but then another thought struck her.

"Nagato." The blue haired girl whispered receiving a look from Naruto who was clearing his ruminations.

"Huh?" the blonde ninja asked as he didn't quite hear what she said.

"Nagato! Where's Nagato? Did you save him from Madara?" She started back louder than ever.

Naruto looked at her, then dropped his eyesight to the ground forlorn. Konan automatically knew what the answer was from the boy's gestures alone.

"Don't tell me…" She asked the boy before it caused her to sink low on her bed and clench her fists.

"Damn it," She began, "I had everything planned to defeat him. I was ready for whatever he threw at me… and I… failed." Her voice began to quiver as she continued her rant. "I went through so many scenarios in my head, I even calculated timing between tactics… and I couldn't even protect my best friend." Her voice cracked and tears began to well up in her eyes. She had worked hard to prevent the kidnapping of Nagato's body, but all she really achieved was knowing that she was too weak to protect her last friend from the clutches of darkness.

Naruto looked at the girl plainly. A feeling of guilt washed over his body as he thought about what had previously occurred because He **also** failed at getting Nagato's body back. Just the thought made him want to beat himself up after causing another pain to someone. He then remembered what the older Uzumaki told him once Naruto received his Rinnegan.

'_Take care of Konan for me.' _

"Blame me," The blond Jinchuuriki told the woman.

She looked at him with widened eyes as he glared upon her, "W-What?"

"I was the one who let him get away with his body. I had a chance to save him and I blew it." His face showed signs of anger but he still kept a serious tone. "Hit me!"

He pointed to himself with his thumb and lowered his defenses in front of her.

"B-But, I don't w-" She started, but was immediately interrupted by Naruto.

"I SAID HIT ME!" His eyes still gleamed with seriousness, "Don't put the blame on yourself. Blame **me**instead!"

She slowly raised her hand and curled it into a fist as she thought about everything she hated. All of her loathing was going directly into her hand as she finally built up enough strength to hit the boy. Naruto braced for impact as Konan's fist came hurtling towards him. The blonde then shut his eyes, hoping that it wouldn't hurt, only to feel nothing. A few seconds passed as he slowly opened his eyes again.

"I can't do it," She replied in a hoarse whisper, "I can't blame you for what happened."

Her fist fell to her side as she lost all means to slaughter the boy. Lost for words, Naruto just stood there. Yet again, he didn't think that it would click to her as easily as it just did. Maybe he was underestimating her?

"If I told myself you did it, then I would be lying," Her gaze faltered back to her bed as she continued, "It wasn't your fault. It was **his**. **Madara's**…" Such distaste spewed from her mouth every time she talked about him. If words could kill, he would have died a million times over.

"Look, I'm sorry I can't bring him back," Naruto began, pacing around the room, "But I will keep my promise to Nagato. I promise I will make peace with everyone and make people finally understand one another. I **will** become Hokage."

Konan quit her self loathing and curiously observed the boy. He turned to look at her then gave her his trademark grin. She couldn't help but smile slightly at the young Leaf-nin before a certain Hokage came through the door along with Sakura.

Tsunade gave her a once over before speaking, "I see you've made a full recovery."

The blue haired-nin sized up the Godaime as well before speaking and let her true emotions fade for the moment.

"I see you have as well," She said without much emphasis.

"Yes, well, I can handle my own," Tsunade continued, "But, I did not come here for idle chat. I came here for another reason altogether."

"Then why **are** you here, granny?" Naruto asked slightly confused in the matter.

"I was just about to get to that," She said gaining full attention of both Konan and Naruto. Her eyes then looked at the ex-Akatsuki, "The reason I am here is to get you tested. We clearly can't have an enemy of Konoha living here without any clarification of non-malicious intent."

"L-Living here?" Konan shouted abruptly, "I didn't say I was joining the Leaf village!"

Tsunade shot her an evil glare, "You are in no position to argue. Naruto saved your life and brought you to this village **and** it was because of him that I have decided to spare your existence as well."

Konan threw her eyes to her bed and reflected silently not really knowing what to say.

"I could just sign for your execution here and now and be done with you, but you could prove to be a valuable asset to this village, being as how you have trained under Jiraiya who was one of the legendary Sannin, such as myself, **and** you are a former member of Akatsuki nonetheless. That is why, henceforth, you have been disregarded as the S-rank nuke-nin you once were. You are now known as Konan of the Leaf with probation rights."

"Uhm, Lady Tsunade," Sakura stated questioningly, "Is it really a good idea to enlist an Akatsuki as a Leaf-nin?"

Tsunade turned her gaze to Naruto, who was staring at her with a slight smile, then turned her attention to Sakura, "If Naruto believes in her, then it wouldn't hurt to give her a shot. I've already talked to the council and they have fully agreed to allow her stay as long as the probation is in effect." _'It wasn't easy though.'_

The pink haired girl looked at the Godaime cautiously as a sign that she really didn't know if it was the right choice. Tsunade sighed and turned her view to the concerned medic-nin. "Don't worry," She whispered, "I'm sure there is a good reason why Naruto wants to do this." She then looked at the blonde and switched to the blue haired Leaf-nin, "Even if it doesn't make any sense." She finalized to Sakura before continuing her original response to Konan.

"There will be clothes sent to this room for you to change into, afterwards, ANBU will arrive and you will immediately go to the interrogation chambers for your cross-examination to see if you're actually hiding something."

Tsunade turned for the door and shifted her head to match eyes with Konan.

"God help you if you are." She then walked out of the room with Sakura trailing behind taking her final glance as well before closing the door behind them.

Konan slumped in her bed in defeat. It seemed she had no choice in the matter anymore about where she could go or what she could do. If she tried to escape in her current weakened state, she would only get caught and put to trial on instant treason. Things would not go well and it would only mean the end of her.

"Well, I believe you'll pass, NO SWEAT!" Naruto assured the new Leaf-nin with his wide smile.

She looked at him and saw the warmness etched across his face. It caused her to barely smile again to the boy and she couldn't understand it, _'There's something about him… Something I can't describe. What is… this feeling?' _

She mused a couple of more seconds before Naruto started walking away, "Naruto-san, where are you going?"

"Oh," Naruto started, "Well, Captain Yamato wanted to see me. He told me after I got done in the hospital; I should see him immediately."

"Oh." Konan silently added. There was obviously a hint of unease in her voice and the Jinchuuriki noticed it.

"Don't worry. You'll do fine. You're not like the others and… I can see that," Naruto added with a thumbs up before making his final leave.

The door clicked softly as silence enveloped the room leaving Konan alone on her bed to reflect.

OOOOooOOoOoOo

Naruto hopped over a few buildings and darted through various people until he reached a single building on the other end of the construction mess on the opposite side of the village. It was dull in color and lacked any enthusiasm in the creativity department. It didn't have a door as it only had two flaps in front of the doorway slowly wafting in the breeze. It was probably used previously for medical treatment seeing as how it had stretchers laying around it and various other medical equipment, now it was abandoned as Konoha had a hospital again.

"Well, this was where Captain Yamato wanted to see me." He replied to himself unenthusiastically. Naruto pushed the flap around his body as he made his way into the room.

The room was a little stale and still looked messy with many needles and bandages lying around. The only thing that seemed new was the bodies of the ninja who occupied the building.

Yamato noticed the boy and not too soon responded to his arrival, "Ah! I see you've made it."

"Yo," Kakashi responded to the boy who only looked a little puzzled at the masked man's greeting.

"Wait a minute. What's Kakashi-sensei doing here?" The blonde asked as Yamato walked over to the Jinchuuriki.

Kakashi looked at the boy, then at Yamato before he let out a smile underneath his mask.

"Well, it's no big deal, but we heard from Lady Tsunade that Nagato did something to you before he died. We just want to make sure nothing affects the Kyuubi's final seal is all."

"That's right Naruto," Yamato stated, "Whatever he did to you could affect the seal and ultimately release the Kyuubi from its cage. That is why we have to check your body for anything abnormal."

"OH YEAH!" Naruto banged his hand in his other palm, "I haven't shown you yet have I?"

Yamato looked at Kakashi before the masked man spoke up to the blonde Jinchuuriki.

"Uhm, Shown us what?"

Not long after that, Naruto concentrated for a second before he finally yelled out, "Rinnegan!"

The blonde's eyes shot open and revealed two purple circles replacing each iris. Both, Yamato and Kakashi stifled a breath as they were taken aback at the sight of the new Rinnegan eyes that replaced Naruto's original sky blue eyes they had grown accustomed to.

"R-Rinnegan?" Kakashi started, "How did you-"

"It was Nagato's final gift to me. As it turns out, he was my cousin." He replied happily before he remembered his death. It caused Naruto to downcast his eyes for the moment.

"Naruto… This is… unbelievable," Yamato looked deeper into the eyes of the new Rinnegan wielder. The purple gleamed in his irises from the light bulb on the ceiling. It wasn't a full Rinnegan yet, but it was still just as intimidating. "Kakashi, can you help me out here?"

"Oh, yeah, sure thing," The masked man was still amazed at the sight, but lifted his Hitai-ate to reveal his Sharingan. Naruto stood there for a few seconds before Kakashi spoke up again, "Well, it's not an illusion, there's nothing behind it. It's not a trap either so, it's the real deal."

The wood expert was dumb stricken. This was actually the first time he got to see this type of eye up close, but turned to a more serious façade after he realized something.

Yamato looked down then smiled slightly, "It seems the Uzumaki bloodline carries the Rinnegan after all."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Kakashi brought up before receiving a look from Yamato.

"Well, back when I was a Chuunin, there was this rumor going around the adults that a Rinnegan user was actually found. I don't remember much, but the higher ranked ninja also said something about the Uzumaki. I was young back then so I really didn't understand what they were talking about at the time, but now that I see Naruto here, the heir to the Uzumaki bloodline, I realize that both of those stories were actually one story."

Kakashi thought coherently about it, "Oh yeah, I remember hearing about that too. That was a while ago though. I guess when they saw that Kushina didn't have it, they gave up the idea."

"So… Are you saying that I actually have a Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto asked as if he were a child getting candy.

"Yes, it seems so," Yamato replied before giving a glance at the Jinchuuriki, "All right, Naruto. Let's see if it alters your seal or not."

OooOOoOOOOOooo

It was very quiet in the lone recovery room that Konan resided in. The ANBU already came to her room and gave her the clothes she was supposed to change into only a half minute after Naruto left. They seemed to fit her perfectly, which kind of threw her off for the moment, but then she realized that her other clothes were missing so she assumed that they knew her sizes from them. She then walked into the small bathroom that was on the other side of her room. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked herself up and down in the bathroom sized mirror. **What** was she **wearing**? How could she **wear** something like this? As if irony was taking a crack at her itself, she came dressed in something that seemed to humiliate her. The same outfit that many other ninja wore who tried to stop her, she dressed in as well. From head to toe she bore the greenish Jounin vest with a black long sleeve turtleneck shirt underneath that had the orange Uzumaki swirl on the left arm. She also wore the same black skintight pants that every other Leaf-ninja wore as well, bearing the shuriken pouch on her right thigh. Then to finish it off, her sandals were that of a black color as well, leaving no difference in color change to the outfit.

"I guess it's what I deserve," She replied woefully. Her gaze faltered as her eyelids lowered. Konan didn't think that she was worthy of these new clothes, "Those who wore this vest obtained it through honorable means to their village. I shouldn't wear something like this." The clothes seemed to mock her and it pushed her into a further state of suppression to the past making her leave the bathroom because she could not bear the sight of herself.

The door opened not long after to her room as two ANBU appeared before her, "Follow us," One of them ordered to the blue haired Leaf-nin. She nodded silently and walked away with the two black-ops members.

Shortly later she found herself inside a small room with one table and two chairs. Two men were already inside the room and gave her a look of scorn.

"I see you are in Konoha. What are you **doing** here?" The taller man asked the woman with a sneer.

"That only concerns me. It is none of your business," She replied in a dull tone.

"W-WHAT DID YOU SAY?" The man responded back vehemently picking her up by her Jounin vest, "I should kill you right now for all of the suffering that was spread across this entire village!"

"Now, now Ebiki. We shouldn't do anything to harm this one," The other man shot back to the angry Jounin, "Besides, we will find out, soon enough, of her true intent."

"Oh yeah, that's right Inoichi," A slight chuckle escaped Ebiki's mouth followed by a release of the woman. The blonde Yamanaka motioned for her to sit down after that little show.

She sat in a chair opposite to the other man and stared unemotionally to the blonde Jounin.

Inoichi looked to her for a moment before he started to speak, "Alright, I'm going to have to put you to sleep before I can perform the procedure. Hopefully you will cooperate with me so there won't be any trouble."

She shook her head in agreement before he started talking again, "Okay, allow me to start," And not long after that, she unknowingly fell unconscious to a sleeping jutsu.

"Now… Let's see what you are hiding," Inoichi stated as he placed his hand on top of her head.

**======FLASHBACK======**

"Who is this and why is he even here?" an 8 year old Yahiko asked to the young girl about the same age.

"He's called Nagato. He looked so alone and pitiful outside that I told him to come live with us." Konan replied happily to the orange haired boy.

"But he even brought a dog, sheesh."

'_**Hmm… Nothing here' Inoichi thought as he read over her memories, 'But it seems Nagato and Konan are long time friends.' Let's go to another one.**_

"I'm staying." Jiraiya told his team mate Tsunade who responded outraged, "What? You can't be serious?"

"Well, at least until they get on their feet." The younger Jiraiya shot back.

Konan looked at the older man. She was a little worried about his stay, but he seemed to be real nice. In a way he almost seemed like a father figure, especially after they got used to him being around.

OoOoOo

"Hop-in planks? What are those?" Konan asked the white haired sage.

"Oh," He started, "Well they're to show whose here and whose not by the side it has been flipped to. If it's red, it means you're here. If it's white, it means you have left and can "Hop-in" anytime." A grin etched across the Leaf-nin's face as he waited for the kids to get the pun, but that failed when the young girl asked another question.

"But why do we need these?" Konan asked, uncertain of the uses it pertained.

"Well, this area is still dangerous and you'll never know when they will come here and try to attack us." The sage answered realistically.

"So, you're saying that if it's red, then one of us has probably been captured and when one is white and we're all here, then that means there is an enemy disguised as one of us?" She asked Jiraiya in a state of confused understanding.

"That's very inspective Konan. Unlike a certain other…" The sage eyed the orange haired boy studiously.

"Hey I knew what you were talking about… sort of." Yahiko retorted back.

'_**Nothing here either, but Jiraiya-sama taught them?' Inoichi mentally disregarded the thought for now. 'Where are your darker thoughts? Why are you here?' He then delved deeper into her mind.**_

"Kill me…" Yahiko told Nagato with a definite voice.

"NOOO! DON'T DO IT!" Konan screamed to her Rinnegan wielding partner at the top of her lungs.

"NAGATO!" The orange haired man shouted to a stricken team mate.

It seemed as though Nagato was in a difficult situation. He was given an ultimatum to either kill Yahiko or Konan gets killed by Hanzo.

"If you don't do it, this girl dies." Hanzo replied to the shaken red headed Akatsuki.

Not a split second later, a solid thud was heard as Yahiko impaled himself with Nagato's kunai.

"Both of you… Have to stay alive because… You are the messiah." Yahiko replied through pained breaths,

"I really believe… you…"

And nothing more was ever said as Yahiko fell to the ground in one last dying breath.

"YAHIKO!" Konan shouted, but the man never answered or got up.

A serious rage enveloped over Nagato as he lost all meaning within himself. Without a moments haste, he began to slaughter everything in his path because nothing mattered anymore. It eventually led to a summoning that took the souls of everything his beast touched causing the Rinnegan wielder to become paralyzed in the process by the rods that shot through his back.

"Nagato…" A forlorn Konan called to the boy, but was ignored because of his insanity that consumed him.

"So… **you **were the real leader to begin with." Hanzo stated crossing his arms to the crazed man before him, "Who knew **you** were the one who had the Rinnegan this whole time."

Not long after that, Nagato screamed and forced his summon in the enemy's direction only to miss his opponent by Shunshin.

'_**That's pretty tragic,' the blonde Yamanaka thought to himself, 'Now I see how they came to be. What a hard way to go through life. I still don't have what I need though, so I need to keep searching.' And with that, he went even further into her memories.**_

"I knew you'd be here." Konan told the man full of hatred.

"So… I'm assuming you won't tell me where Nagato is? The swirling orange masked man asked in a 'thought so' voice.

"I've waited for a very long time to end you… Madara," The blue haired girl answered back forcefully.

Tobi/Madara looked at the woman with a smirk under his mask, "Just so you know, I won't go easy on you just because you were one of us. Oh, one question though, do you think Naruto Uzumaki is **that** special?" He asked in a menacing voice.

Konan did not falter as she pierced through the man's one eye glare with her own, "Naruto… Is the embodiment of light itself, that's why every time he meets somebody… THEY CARRY THE FLOWERS OF HOPE!" And with that, Konan threw a few paper shuriken at the form of Tobi.

"Well… I may as well tell you a few things about your friends, before you come to your imminent death." He replied coldly to the girl as he went intangible completely evading the shuriken.

Konan fell surprised to his intangibility before he brought his point back up.

"First of all, I was the one who made Yahiko form Akatsuki."

The blue haired girl widened her eyes in disbelief.

"And second, I was the one who gave Nagato the Rinnegan." He concluded to the dumbfounded girl, "So, really I just wanted to get my eyes back. But you… You were just a foolish girl who didn't know anything, but now, you know where Nagato's body is hidden, so I just need to detain you."

All of this new information led into a fierce battle between the two Akatsuki as Konan did the Paper Angel technique to further her plans to see to his demise and failure. The altercation lasted for a very long time before it came to a screeching halt. Tobi/Madara had somehow used a move that completely shut off his other eye underneath the broken orange mask in consequence, but this move allowed him to warp space and time to fuse reality and imagination. This attack caused Konan to be put in a deathly encounter with the masked man. He stabbed her in the back from behind with a pointed bamboo sword and pushed her off while he started talking again.

"There **is** no peace, there can be **no **hope. Nagato only wanted to feel better about his existence. Oh, but you'll see him soon enough, then you can spend all of eternity lamenting your decision to listen to Naruto's garbage."

As soon as he said that, the endless rain that fell over Amegakure dissipated until it completely stopped.

"What's going on? It can't be…" Madara stated out loud as his surprise seemed to arise in his words.

The blue haired ex-Akatsuki felt it as a sign and gathered enough will to continue, "Yahiko's and Nagato's desire for peace has not left this world! I have faith in Naruto as well, because he… HE WILL BE THE BRIDGE TO PEACE THAT EVERYONE HAS DESIRED AND I WILL BE THE PILLAR SUPPORTING THAT BRIDGE!" She then raised her arms to make one last attack on the broken masked man. It seemed as though Nagato's death made her make an important decision in her life. "I DON'T CARE IF I AM BLOWN AWAY IN THE PROCESS! I WILL ST-!"

Before she could finish her sentence, a death grip was placed on her neck by the evil man, "You didn't think I'd let you do something like that did you?" She could feel the life slowly fading from her body as Madara continued talking, "I will wilt your flowers of hope and fade the bridge to oblivion. When I am finished with this jutsu, your life will be no more, but before I do that, you will show me where he lies."

She dared a look into the man's eye as the jutsu took place. _'N-No… I can't… No!' _

**======END FLASHBACKS======**

"NOOOOO!" She screamed out in the open jolting both Ebiki and Inoichi. A small tear fell off of her cheek from the reoccurrence as she breathed heavily in nervousness. The Yamanaka immediately pulled his hand away as he remembered the memories of that final encounter and shook his head at the situation.

"What? What did you see?" Ebiki asked the other man who slowly got up from his seated position.

"She's clean." He answered solemnly looking at the floor, "As it turned out, Madara was behind everything."

Ebiki face faulted at that statement, "What? But I thought he was dead."

"I'm not sure," The blonde started, "But I **am** positive that she wants to help us."

Konan didn't say anything, but her facial features backed that statement Inoichi proclaimed. Ebiki couldn't believe it. A former Akatsuki actually wanted to help for a change. It seemed to make him actually go a little easier on the woman.

"A rare sight indeed." Ebiki thought out loud. "Well, since she passed, I guess we have to send her to the Hokage. She **did** tell us if the Akatsuki was approved to take her to her office."

"I suppose so," The blonde replied indifferently, "Let's go."

Konan got up from her seat and walked with the other two men who proceeded in front of her. Two ANBU guarded from behind maintaining standard protocol. A short while later, they arrived at the Godaime's office. She was assorting new files before her on the construction projects of Konoha.

"Ah! I'm assuming it went well?" Tsunade asked in a rhetorical sense.

"Yes, Lady Hokage," Inoichi responded, "And we also have information."

"Well," The Hokage started, "What are you waiting for? Spit it out."

"Oh, Right, Well, It seems the man known as Madara is the one behind everything." Ebiki stated causing Tsunade's eyes to widen in amazement.

"Right. Madara is also known as Tobi, the man in the orange mask," Inoichi followed up while closing his eyes and sighing.

"What? The man in the orange mask is… Madara?" Tsunade lost her words, "But, Madara should be dead."

"I said the same thing," Ebiki stated to the Hokage.

"Right, well I will let the others know. In the meantime, there is something I have to discuss with this woman."

"Yes, Lady Hokage." They both replied in unison before they left the office.

The room seemed to quiet itself once the two women were in the office alone. Tsunade walked over to her window that overlooked the village and gazed out in silence. Konan felt it was not in her place to talk as she was technically the prisoner. There was nothing for her to say. She caused a lot of damage to the Leaf and now they had somewhat captured her as a repayment to the village. It remained quiet for another moment or two before Tsunade began to speak.

"There were these three kids, not even old enough to live on their own. We were coming back from a mission and my partner noticed them. I didn't know what he saw in them, but he really wanted to teach them. He wanted to teach them how to protect each other."

Konan listened to the story quietly as the Hokage continued.

"I didn't really think it was a good idea, but he… saw something in those kids that I didn't at the time. So he left me and my other team mate to help these kids learn how to defend themselves." Tsunade's posture shifted to her other leg as she crossed her arms, still eyeing the village, "Days turned into weeks until one day, I received mail from my partner. He wrote me a letter to keep me updated about his well being. He would tell me how he was doing and ask me the same. But the longer he stayed away, the more he began to tell me about those kids. Eventually whenever I received mail from him, that's all he would ever talk about. He would begin to go on and on about it in the letter that it would fill five pages or more."

Konan's eyes widened slightly after hearing that, but she still said not a word.

"Those weeks turned into months and months turned into years until, finally, he returned home. When I saw him again, I was ecstatic. **Everyone** was happy upon his return. But when I looked at Jiraiya's face, I could tell something was wrong," Tsunade shifted her eyes onto the blue haired Leaf-nin with a sense of sadness that seemed to radiate from them, "It seemed those kids… really grew on him."

Konan couldn't deny it. Even though her emotions and past were buried from the long and arduous years of pain and fighting, she still had **feelings**. It seemed that she thought of Jiraiya as a father, although he wasn't there for very long. If anything, Jiraiya also thought of her as a daughter he never had, but he passed away after that fight with Pain. Now, the only people who had personal ties to herself and Jiraiya were Naruto and Tsunade.

"Could I ask you one question?" The Sennin asked to her only other companion in the room. After receiving a silent agreement from Konan she continued. "What made you change your mind about Naruto?"

Konan's throat seemed dry as if she couldn't say anything. She tried her best to clear her throat to speak. After a second, she began, "Because, Nagato believed in Naruto and… if Nagato believed in him, then I will believe in him as well. I will support his will and well being to ensure peace in this world. It is what Nagato and Jiraiya-sama would have wanted."

The Hokage looked at her slightly pleased, "That is what I wanted to hear," Tsunade then shifted her attention to her desk and opened a drawer, "At first, I thought you were plotting something, but yesterday Naruto told me that he was the one who found you, so it's obvious that none of this was planned," She then pulled something rectangular from the drawer and began to look at it, "It might be a while, but you may redeem your name just yet."

And with that the Godaime threw the rectangular object toward the blue haired ninja, who caught it with ease. The rectangular object was wrapped in a light, white silken material folded in an elegant manner. She pulled the folds apart and revealed something that took her breath away.

A Leaf Hitai-ate.

It matched her clothes with a coal color and the Leaf metal forehead protector gleamed impeccably in the light, showing no scratches or signs of wear and tear. It was new. It was a fresh start, which was something that felt unreal to her. The headband caused a sad smile to creep across her face as she stared at it incredulously.

"Naruto is busy right now being checked over by his Captain, so you will have to help the village rebuild instead, part of the councils orders, but the rest of your free time will be on something bigger. Your main objective?" Tsunade tossed her eyesight over to Konan before she continued, "Is to protect and help Naruto master the Rinnegan."

Konan didn't think too hard before she made a decision. Almost as if she was unaware she did it, Konan closed her eyes and wrapped the new Hitai-ate over her forehead. She then twisted the fabric tails into a knot and pulled forcefully. Afterwards, she opened her eyes to reveal a new found determination.

"Yes… Lady Hokage."

****888888888888888888888888

**AND WERE DONE! These chapters get hard to write, but I know where I'm going with the story. The more I write it, the more fun it gets because we are reaching uncharted territory in Konan's emotional department (Since we don't see her character for too long in the real story,) and it is a definite challenge to keep her in character. To anyone who was confused, I figured Konan would over ride her own selfish feelings about being a prisoner AND feeling undeserving of the title Leaf Ninja to protect the NEW "Destined One", which is Naruto.**

**This may be an extremely long story because I am already on Chapter 3 and I haven't even scratched the surface to their relationship. I didn't even know I could write like this. OOH! Still so many questions left unanswered. To anyone who thinks I made an error somewhere in my story… I didn't. All will be answered in due time… :D**

**Thanks to other reviewers who helped however they could with ideas. To the one reviewer who thinks I'm going to gloss over her crimes, I'm not, but you'll still have to wait and see. Just keep reading my story. (BTW Gaara seemed to be voided of ****his**** crimes… Just saying.)**

**READ &REVIEW **


	4. Chapter 4: Pariah

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Well… It has come to another chapter yet again. I have been INSANELY deep in thought as to how old Konan really is. SO much in thought that it actually held up this chapter. I, out of sheer annoyance with random guesses by myself and random answers on the internet, have decided to make her 26. I don't trust the Naruto fanon and I just think that age guess they made is too old (For a relationship). Honestly, I didn't want her more than a decade older than him. It would have made me feel weird writing it. Even 26 makes me feel awkward, but I must do it. I WANT this pairing. That's why I started this story to begin with. Anyway, please enjoy. : 3**

**Thoughts: **_'Thoughts'_

**Speaking:** "Speaking"

**Chapter 4: Pariah**

"It looks like you're okay Naruto," Yamato replied to the blonde Jinchuuriki, "As a matter of fact; it doesn't change anything at all. It's safe."

Naruto lowered his mesh and orange clad jacket feeling a little happy that it was real. He actually owned a true Rinnegan and he never knew it, "Hey, Captain Yamato?"

"Yes, Naruto?" The wood user asked amused.

"Do you know anything else about the Rinnegan?" He questioned to the Jounin. Yamato put his index finger to his chin as if deep in thought, then let out a sigh.

"I don't really know much else about it. We've never actually had one to study so we don't really know anything. Sorry."

"Oh," Naruto sighed as he hopped to his feet from the medical table, then a thought struck him, "Wait a sec. I think I know someone who knows a thing or two about it. Thanks Kakashi-sensei and Captain Yamato, but I have to run!" He replied with a wave of his hand and dashed for the door.

'_Naruto,' _Kakashi resounded in his mind, _'He just keeps getting stronger. Just like you wanted, eh, Sensei?'_ His thoughts reminisced on the Yondaime as he watched Naruto's final moments in the room.

****8888888888888888

Naruto jogged through the streets at a steady pace. It was a sunny day and people were still building away at the village. Since there was nothing left but the Hokage monument, they literally had to build a city from nothing. It didn't seem as much of a trouble to the villagers for at least they were doing something to occupy their time. Naruto still received smiles from others as he passed by them. There would even be one or two girls around the same age as him that he would pass who, when he faced them, would turn their heads away and giggle. Since he never really saw what it felt like to be liked by another girl, It sort of creeped him out because he thought maybe they were planning something or making fun of him. Ignoring whoever and whatever, he continued. He was trying to reach the Hokage building because he wanted to see if Konan made it out fine.

He wrapped around a newly built building and passed a few more people until he started hearing angry shouting and cursing. A few people seemed to be enraged about something as he gained ever nearer to the noise. It wasn't until he turned a corner that he saw a crowd of people arranged into an uneven circle. There seemed to be a fight that broke out and people were encouraging it by keeping it contained in the irregular shape. After listening on the fight for another second or two he could make out a few phrases the people were saying. "KILL THE BITCH!" "WHY IS SHE HERE?" "SHE STOLE A LEAF NINJA'S CLOTHES! PROBABLY TRYING TO SNEAK IN!" "GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM DEMON!" Naruto got a little worried for this person. Did they really hate whoever this much? She couldn't have done something too bad. After those thoughts ran through his mind a small break formed in the mass of confusion that enveloped this character in just enough time so he could see who they were fighting. It wasn't a fight. No, it was far from it. This was attempted manslaughter. There were several people on this one person and there were even others trying to get their hits on the poor figure. Who were they thrashing on? It was someone who Naruto promised to protect. The person they were beating down was none other than the blue haired ninja that he saved a few days ago.

Konan.

Anger boiled in the pit of his stomach as he saw the woman lying on her back getting hit in the face with a villager's fist and three or four others kicking her in her sides. It was a horrid sight to the blonde boy as feelings came back that he hadn't felt in a long while. Without really thinking, the Jinchuuriki blazed through all of the people and threw a right handed cross to the one attacking her face. This, in turn, sent the abuser flying several feet away from the circle and everyone else to stop what they were doing. Konan weakly looked up to the boy and saw the anger in his eyes, almost as identical as the last time, "N-Naruto."

"Does anybody else want to hit her?" The blonde-nin asked to anyone and everyone. All of the villagers stepped back a little at the sight of the Jinchuuriki before they barraged him with an array of angry shouts. "WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING HER? SHE'S AN AKATSUKI! SHE DOESN'T BELONG HERE! SHE NEEDS TO BE DEAD!"

"JUST LIKE ME, RIGHT?" Naruto screamed as his head turned to one of the villagers revealing his red vertically slit eyes, "SHOULDN'T I BE DEAD TOO? I **AM **THE JINCHUURIKI!"

The villagers stepped a few more paces back before the villager began to speak, "Well, You don't want to harm us and we realize that, but that woman was in on the whole entire destruction of the village."

"But, people can change right?" An unknown voice said that came from behind Naruto and surprised everyone. To Naruto's relief, the village's ruler appeared behind the boy causing the whole scene to emit peace.

"Granny?" Naruto started but was cut off by the Godaime.

"Don't worry Naruto. I'll take it from here," She replied firmly.

The villagers once again began an upheaval in noise clearly in rejection to the blue haired woman's presence. Tsunade listened with a half ear to what the villagers were saying before she raised her hand to clam them down. As soon as they pacified she sighed softly, "Look. I am sure all of you are upset about this new occurrence, but let me assure you. There is a perfect explanation for all of this." The villagers remained observant on the speaker. Naruto was looking over Konan and helping her stand on her feet.

"Yes," Tsunade continued, "She was a member of Akatsuki, but she has been captured. Now you are probably also wondering why she is wearing normal Leaf attire?" A few people nodded as a sign of agreement. "Well, the council and I have decided that, since she partook in the annihilation of the village, she should wear what many of our fellow ninja have worn to remind her of the past and her misdeeds that followed to the Leaf's destruction. With that said, she will stay here and forever live her life in the shadow of the Leaf, helping rebuild the village and whatever else we ask of her as penance for that sad day that fell upon our land."

The Hokage looked over to the newly assigned Leaf-nin who looked away as a sign of guilt crossed her features. She could see the sadness without having to really look too hard. All of the villagers seemed to take the Godaime's statement at face value because a lot of them smiled viciously at the price the woman had to pay.

"That is why, from this moment forward, no on is to harm or maim this person because she will prove herself to be of worth, Understand?" She concluded with that and watched as the villagers grumbled and removed themselves from the area to continue what they were doing previously. There were a few villagers who still glared at the blue haired ninja with distaste before they walked away as well leaving only Tsunade, Konan, and Naruto alone.

The female Sennin then took sight of the other two standing there. She went to say something but felt slightly dizzy, so she closed her eyes and heaved a sigh.

"Thanks, Granny," Naruto sighed as he gazed down at his feet, "I just…"

"I know Naruto," She replied to him with a slight smile.

"Just be glad I was thinking about you," She stated before opening her eyes and turning to make her leave. It was never really clear who she was talking to in that statement, but before anyone could ask, she disappeared by Shunshin. A crossed look came over the boy's features, but only for a moment as he shook it off and looked at the ex-Akatsuki.

"Come on, Konan," Naruto told the blue haired ninja with a smile, "Let's get you cleaned up."

She looked over to the boy and reflected silently, thinking about everything that had just taken place. Naruto went out of his way to protect her again. He even went so far as to hit someone else in his own village, but was it for his promise or for something else? _'It seems he still has some buried feelings about his past,' _She thought quietly before taking his offer and following him.

A little while later they reached Naruto's home. He pulled out a key from his pocket, unlocking his door and pushing it open to reveal the inside. It was nearly the same as last time except some odd and end things were lying on the floor. They both walked into the living room and Naruto helped his guest sit on the couch that overlooked the street. He left her alone for a moment and only a moment before he walked back in the room with a couple of rags and a bowl of warm water. He also carried a bottle of some unknown brand of ninja pills that was halfway filled and a roll of bandages. He sat down beside her and began to take a look at the damage. Her hair was a little disheveled and small cuts made their way onto her face. She also had a black eye and a small amount of blood was on her lip which seemed to have left a trail on her face, but was dried over time.

"Why didn't you defend yourself?" Naruto asked as he continued looking over her face.

"Well, violence is not always the answer. Also, I do believe that I would have serious repercussions if I touched anyone in your village. Killing someone on my first day is not a very good impression is it?" She replied nonchalantly looking down.

He laughed lightly at that, "No, I guess not."

He then went for the rag and began dipping it into the warm water. He pulled it up a few seconds later and immediately stopped, _'Wait a second. What in the hell am I doing? Then again, she hasn't said anything yet, so… I guess it's okay.' _The Jinchuuriki sank the rag back into the lukewarm water, wrung it out and slowly inched his hand closer to her face. He came just a hair away from making contact with skin before a hand grabbed his wrist, knocking the warm rag to the young woman's lap.

"I can do this on my own. I do not need your assistance." She replied sharply with a facial reaction that matched. The only reason he got as far as he did was because she wasn't paying attention to him.

"Oh, Sorry! Ha Ha!" He replied wryly. Now he felt like an idiot. Of course, she wouldn't let him do that, _'I should've known.'_

She began to wipe her face with the rag softly, closing her eyes to the sensation it gave her. Naruto didn't really know what to do anymore, so he thought quietly to himself. Actually, he was thinking about the villagers and how they reacted to her. They hated her. Loathed her. Wanted her dead. He couldn't help but remind himself about the way they used to act to him when he was younger. This feeling was something that he never wanted to experience again because for the longest time, **he** was the villagers beacon of hate.

Even through his academy years, people hated him. He thought the only way to get attention was to act out and become a nuisance. He did bad pranks and jokes all over the village. He even marked all over the Hokage monument… but people **noticed** him. It didn't matter how he got noticed back then, just as long as somebody was watching him. The only reason he ever got any friends was because he got stuck on a team with people who had to deal with him. They eventually realized not to judge a book by its cover and finally became friends with the boy. Years passed and finally everyone recognized Naruto as a person, not a demon.

But now the villagers have someone new to hate. Someone to blame everything on. A new pariah, which was something Naruto had been previously.

'_Maybe the same thing will happen to Konan?'_ He thought in a sense of hopefulness, _'Maybe people will see her like they see me now?' _

He brooded silently a few more moments before a soft voice interrupted him.

"Naruto-san?"

"Yeah?" He asked curiously. The blonde was a little disappointed that he was cut short in his thoughts, but was willing to talk.

"There was something I have wanted to ask you ever since I have been here," She then stopped rubbing her face and looked at him with interest, "How did you know Madara was after me? It's like you knew I was in danger."

"Well," He started while gripping his chin and closing his eyes as if deeply concentrating, "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" She asked him irately from his stupid answer.

"Hold on a second. Let me explain," He then positioned himself correctly on the couch pushing his hands on his legs. A close of his eyes signified that he was deep in thought, "Well, when I was home, something happened to me. I was watching the villagers rebuild their homes from this window."

He pointed to the one behind the couch they were sitting on, "Everything seemed fine and it felt like another day. Well… then I began to reminisce about the reveal of my true heritage and Nagato's death."

Konan's attention was still laid upon the boy, keeping movements to a minimum as to not disturb his thought processes.

"Around that time, I started to look at the flowers you gave me and I started to feel sad. While I was doing that though, the flowers… they started wilting."

"But, origami can not wilt." She rebuked followed by a continuation of his explanation.

"Yeah, I know, that's what I thought too. I thought it was just a genjutsu you did to the flowers that make them seem realistic, but then… it got even weirder."

Konan looked at him confused in the matter and silently urged him to resume.

Seconds later, a sigh left his mouth and he spoke, "After they wilted, they caught on fire."

"Caught on… fire?" She was taken aback at the statement. The blue haired Leaf-nin didn't do any of that and felt like Naruto was just telling a lie to make it convincing, but then again, the way he spoke so calmly about it made him seem like he was telling the truth.

"Yeah, I don't really get it myself, but they did. I was a little worried about it and I didn't want to think anything more. But…" The Jinchuuriki then lowered his eyes to the floor. "Then, I started to feel this pain. It was in my chest and… I felt like I was dying. But when this feeling continued, the only person that popped into my head was… you. It was like… I could feel your anguish and my thoughts were telling me you were in trouble, so I just dashed out of the village by myself and the feeling… led me to you." He finalized with a smile.

Konan thought for a moment. It was a lot to take in because stuff seemed to not add up. How could Naruto know she was in danger? _'His Rinnegan couldn't have been activated during the time so,' _A small grin appeared on her face as she came to a conclusion.

"Nagato did that."

That seemed to confuse the poor boy, "Huh? Whaddya mean? He's not alive anymore, so how could he do anything?"

"Well, then he must have done something while he was alive." She responded as if trying to give him a clue.

"What could he have done?" Naruto asked abruptly, "The only time he could have done anything was…" How could he not have seen this before? It should have been obvious, "My awakening."

"Exactly," Konan answered with finality, "It seems Nagato has passed his locator link to you."

"Locator link? Whaddya mean?" The Jinchuuriki asked.

She then heaved a sigh, "Nagato used a jutsu on all of his six paths to locate them whenever he needed them. By sealing a small amount of chakra into a certain part of the body on the person they want to connect with, the person in charge can submit a small chakra frequency producing a connection with the other person. In order for it to work though, the receiver had to have an antenna to cast and receive the signal and the person giving the signal has to have one as well. It doesn't even matter how big it is. It could be the size of a hair and still do its job. You can't control a body with an antenna that small, but you can still locate whoever you're looking for. I was the only other person to have a locating link placed on my body, which was transmitted by my lip piercing," She then points to the small hole under her bottom lip signaling that something was once there, "The person doing the jutsu leaves a hint of their own chakra into the other person, so they can always find who they are looking for. It seemed Nagato transferred his chakra locators... to you and since I was the only other person to have his chakra link, you could feel me, but only me. More or less, you unknowingly activated this link while you thought about me."

"Oh," Naruto replied scratching his head, "I guess that makes sense, but still… how did I receive the signal? I don't have anything on my body."

"I have one place in mind," Konan said as she got closer to the boy.

Naruto felt a little awkward from their shortened distance away from each other as she moved closer to the boy, but sort of shrugged it off for now.

"Turn your head for me please," She asked softly to him who then received a turned head from the boy.

She looked around the sides of his face, then grabbed his chin and quickly turned his head to gaze at his left temple. Naruto was bemused of her actions because he didn't really know what she was doing, but felt even more creeped out when she started touching his hair, moving it around softly with her fingers.

"Hey, what are you- YOW!"

"Found it," Konan replied as her hand came around his face unveiling a small shard, "Very clever, Nagato."

"What is that? Looks like a splinter," Naruto told the girl quizzically.

"**This…** is a chakra rod fragment. This is what Nagato used for you to find me, as in, the little antenna I mentioned earlier."

"Oh," Naruto mentioned, "But it's so small."

Konan seemed slightly amused at his reaction to this, "Well, yes. Like I said, they can be as small as a hair, but it still does what the person wants it to."

Naruto liked the idea. It was very smart to think of something like this and it got him wanting to do the same, "Hey! I should get one of those! Then if anyone ever gets in trouble, I can come in and save the day!"

"You mean like the time that you saved me?" The blue haired kunoichi asked, smiling at the end of her lips.

"Oh!" Naruto blushed about her teasing question, "Oh, well, I guess." He laughed slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Without any prior notice, Konan wrapped her arms around him again. This time instead of sympathy, it was one that she needed and desired, "Thank you Naruto," A subtle tear began to descend its way down her face. It seemed she had more going on than he thought. She did so well to hide her emotions when they were in the hospital room that he never really noticed. That was when a melancholy mood placed itself on the house of Uzumaki Naruto.

This was the third time he saw her cry, but this time Konan willingly hugged him. It was good to have a shoulder to cry on. Someone for emotional support. Of course the factor of her being older and barely knowing the boy didn't really matter at the time because he was the only one she could do this to. He had the most tie to Nagato now and she was in a village that hated her, so who else than the blonde-nin that rescued her in the midst of her death?

Naruto tried to collect his thoughts before he gently wrapped his arms around her as well. A smile overtook his lips as he began to speak happily to the woman, "Don't worry. When I save this world from the never ending pain, then you won't have to suffer anymore, because I will be Uzumaki Naruto. Hokage of Konohagakure," Naruto let go of his grip and stared at her with pure determination, pointing to his own chest with his thumb, "I will make sure that everyone understands one another and peace lives across the land. It is my dream. My goal. My desire. If there is no way to peace, then I will find a way."

Konan stared at the boy. She **did** misjudge him. Yes, his way of thinking about finding peace was childish, but somehow he keeps stepping closer to that ambition with hope, _'That smile… I understand now. That feeling I felt in the hospital… It was warmth. I have finally realized why Nagato trusts him. He truly is the light to this world,' _"I… have faith in you," Another smile graced her features as she wiped a stray tear from her eye, "And I won't let anyone interfere. The will for peace has been passed down to you and I promise on my life and on my friends graves that I will protect that will and allow the bridge to peace to be built with only the strongest materials. The support that holds underneath will keep that bridge standing taller than all the land, so that nothing evil can ever reach its peak." _'I promise, Yahiko… Nagato…' _

In that moment, they both looked at each other in a new light that only seemed unfeasible previously.

On that day, a new friendship was born between the two which could possibly exceed every others expectation. Was it fate that these two met? Did they share something that no one else had in the known universe? They seemed to know each other, if only slightly, and were willing to go out of each others way to make this path to "Peace" probable. It was a mutual feeling. An understanding. Maybe the universe intended this outcome and was correcting itself by allowing this abnormal charade to continue. This didn't seem **real**. It **couldn't** be real. But here they were, joined together by an unusual game of chance where the hand dealt in their favor. Maybe this could work. It was only planned from the beginning anyway…

***88888888888888888========

**Yep. Another chapter finished. It's a little shorter than the 3****rd**** one, but this one stopped in a good spot. This chapter took me two days to write after some vicious brainstorming throughout the day and help from a good friend of mine. He'd give me small ideas mainly for future chapters, but I mainly came up with everything else. The ending probably seemed weird, but damn… it's hard to continue the story if I don't progress their relationship and Konan's character to a certain point. Believe me. I don't think friendship is rushing into anything. They have a mutual understanding now and it seemed like the best time. Maybe, by some small chance you portray their characters as being OOC. I don't care. They aren't. Think about the way he treats Sakura about Sasuke (His emotions), then you'll see it's not so bad. Konan's character, on the other hand, is way harder to portray. She's, like, next to nothing in her character development in the manga. I am trying to make it seem realistic. She IS human after all, not a killing machine devoid to every emotion known to man. I have seen older people cry on younger people, so hey, it's not that unrealistic.**

**FYI. This story has a final ending, where I will have an actual ending to the Naruto series as a whole. (Yes, I have the story planned that far.) Expect… A LOT of chapters.**

**LOL, in the next two or three chapters, readers are going to flip. Something awesome happens. :D**

_**READ & REVIEW**_


	5. Chapter 5: Secrets

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Thoughts:**_ 'Thoughts'_

**Speaking:** "Speaking"

**Chapter 5: Secrets**

"Naruto-san, let us begin your training," Konan said as she sat up from her seated position wrapping her arm in a bandage. Somehow, she felt a smidge happier from their little heart to heart moment.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto shouted giddily, "That's what I was gonna ask you today."

Konan questioned the blonde, befuddled, "Ask what?"

"Well, before I found you, I wanted to find someone to help me with the Rinnegan. Then I thought after a minute and realized you were the only person that was even remotely close to knowing anything about it. But after all of those things that happened today, I sort of forgot," He replied rubbing the back of his head wryly.

"Yes, well, we are here now and we don't have much time to waste," Konan replied in a matter of fact tone, "Madara far surpasses your strength and even my own, but we are about to change that," She then finished wrapping her arm and started walking towards the door. The blonde only stared at her, his gaze deep in space signifying that he was in thought, "Naruto-san, Madara is nothing but pure darkness. You, on the other hand, are the child of prophecy. It is said that you will triumph victoriously and make things right in this world gone awry."

She then turned to face him in a serious facade, "By the time we are done with your training, he will never get his hands on you. I can guarantee it."

That response actually lightened his mood a little. A small grin etched across his face as he thought about that aspect. He was actually going to be taught how to use the Rinnegan. It sort of felt strange to him now that he thought about it. He has a Kekkei Genkai. A special eye that her friend once had. Now that friend is no more which makes Naruto the new heir to the special power he now possesses.

"Okay, Konan-chan... I-I'm ready," Naruto replied cheerily.

The blue haired woman looked at him and her features dropped into a frown, "Don't call me that."

"Huh?" He asked a little confused.

"You are never to put "chan" at the end of my name. Understand?" She told him in an angry voice, "Just because we have to train together for your benefit, that doeds not mean that we are best friends."

"B-But I thought-"

"Well, you thought wrong," She replied with no hesitation, "Now let's get going. We do not have much time," She then proceeded out of the door in sort of a hurry.

Naruto tried to think as he couldn't figure out what just happened, _'What is wrong with her? One minute we're friendly, the next, she is staring daggers at me. I... I don't get it.'_

He concentrated for another second or so before he concluded that it would come to him sooner or later. Naruto then followed behind Konan to begin his very first training lesson of the Rinnegan.

"Another day as the Hokage unfurls," Tsunade replied out in the open at her office desk, "It never ceases to amaze me."

Tsunade was very annoyed as of late. She had just gotten out of a coma and the work already piled itself to the ceiling as if it was trying to get her mad on purpose. She had to deal with the unexpected arrival of a former Akatsuki member which was proving to be more trouble than it was actually worth, but could potentially work into a huge advantage if handled correctly. She had to go through council just to even instate Konan as a Leaf ninja. But if the blue haired woman was willing to help Naruto in any way she could and Naruto felt it best, then there didn't seem to be any reason why she shouldn't do this for her, even if the Hokage didn't want to.

It was the way Konan acted towards Tsunade that really tipped the scales in the ex-Akatsuki's favor. The Godaime could read people very well that it was almost a talent because she could pick up an subtle gesture or voice change very easily just like the Third Hokage. That was something that only interrogators were good at. Maybe she should have been a Cross-Examiner? _'Easier than being Hokage,'_ She thought with a sigh. She then thought about the blue haired woman that came in earlier. When she looked at Konan, the look in her eyes and the way she spoke, it was as if she was speaking to another person entirely, if that makes sense. Tsunade could see the loneliness in Konan's eyes in which her voice didn't betray that emotion at all. Of course, Konan was trying to hide it and doing a good job nonetheless, but that didn't really matter because the Hokage could see straight through the mask that the paper user held onto for a false sense of comfort.

Tsunade could see her sadness, oh too well. Konan was the last one from the trio that trained under Jiraiya all those years ago and now that all of her friends were deceased, there was no one else there to help the paper user get over her grief. The Sannin felt a little sad for the woman even though she helped in the villages total annihilation. But now that Naruto is around her in the village, maybe he will find a friend in Konan and help her. _'She seemed to hold Naruto in high regard. I think he's safe for now.'_

While in the middle of her thoughts, Yamato and Kakashi appeared in the Godaime's office with a poof of smoke, completely disrupting her ruminations.

Tsunade looked over in their direction and put a knowing look upon her face, "Well? What did you find out?" She then intertwined her fingers and laid her elbows on the table resting her chin on her hands.

"Right," Yamato replied firmly, "Well, we were a little startled at first when we saw it, but the tests came back negative. His eyes are real."

"Yes, it seems Naruto has acquired the true Rinnegan," Kakashi stated seriously, "We do not know what to do about the situation, although we do know that it does not have any affect on the last seal conataining the Kyuubi."

"Well... At least there is SOME good news. Good to know Nagato didn't do anything to him," Tsunade responded with a sense of finality.

"I found it very odd though," Kakashi started again after a minute silence, "Naruto only has two rings on his eyes, but if I remember correctly, the Rinnegan has always covered the entire eye. I've done some research while we were fighting Pain and it says that the Rinnegan covers the whole eye, but Naruto's only go so far as to cover the irises."

Tsunade looked to the ninja intrigued by his findings, "Hmmm... You do make an interesting point."

"That is why I would like to continue testing him for further evaluation," Yamato answered without a moment's haste, "Things seem a little... Confusing. And for that reason, I want to make sure nothing happens."

Tsunade nodded her head in approval, "Right. You have my permission to continue watching him for any unusual occurrences as it would deem unfortunate if something were to happen to Naruto," The Hokage sternly replied. Something **was **fishy as things did not definitely add up. What could it be? What was Nagato's purpose?

Kakashi then let his eye wander until a hint of blue peaked his interest on the Hokage's desk. There was a folder that was left open revealing a sizeable document and a photo of a person on top, "Oh, doing a last minute Akatsuki report?" Kakashi's eye lingered a little longer between the front page and picture before noticing something out of the ordinary, "Wait a minute. Is she-"

"That's right Kakashi," The Godaime interrupted, "She is a Leaf Jounin."

"What?" Yamato asked before he looked at the photo with the silver haired Jounin. All he heard was 'Akatsuki', 'She', and 'Leaf Jounin'. He really wasn't expecting what he saw, "You can't be serious?"

Tsunade looked at the document as well before heaving a soft sigh, "Look, Naruto was the one who found her. He seemed to trust her after finding out that Nagato was his cousin and also, she has no ill will towards Naruto because we had Inoichi look into her mind and come up with nothing."

Kakashi and Yamato stared in though as the Sannin continued, "I already know what you are thinking. When I first heard that Naruto brought her here, I thought the same thing. I really just wanted to leave here for dead, but Naruto... He had a sense that something was there that no one was seeing. That idiot. He thinks he know everything."

A smile graced her lips as she kept the speech moving, "It wasn't until I actually saw her today that I changed my mind."

Yamato felt the need to speak after a moment of silence, curious as to what the woman had to say, "Well... What made you change your mind?"

Tsunade looked at the picture again, and then looked at both of the Jounin with her smile fading into a sad one, "Naruto did. His attitude about everything... Maybe he felt obligated to protect Konan, since Pain, or Nagato rather, told him that he was his cousin. I do not know."

"You really wish the better for Naruto don't you Lady Tsunade?" Kakashi asked in a semi-sorrowful voice, but his stature proved he was sympathetic as well.

"Yes, but I also know thay Konan can really help him with his training. She is thw only one that really knows anything about the Rinnegan and plus, on top of that, she seems to trust Naruto to a degree," Tsunade then moved her arms to the desk and turned her eyes to the table as well, "What was reall strange though was while we were in discussion about it with the Jounin leader and the council, Danzo didn't even raise an argument. Actually, he and I were the only ones in full support of the instatement. That only makes me curious as to what he was thinking."

"I see your point," Kakashi stated as he turned his head to the wood user.

Yamato then nodded in acceptance, "I guess we really can't disobey the Hokage's decree."

"Nope," Tsunade replied cheekily, changing her mood in an instant, "And that is one reason why I love being Hokage."

Yamato was slightly taken aback before he nodded his head again, "Yes Lady Hokage, then I will keep you updated with Naruto. Good bye," He then did a Shunshin leaving Kakashi and Tsunade in the room alone.

Once things died down, Kakashi looked at the Godaime and turned his head to the door, "Well, since you don't need me for anything, I might as well make my leave."

"Actually," Tsunade started, "I **do **need your assistance."

That made the silver haired Jounin stop in his tracks, "Oh?"

"Yes, I need you to keep an eye on Naruto and Konan for me," She replied getting up from her chair, but wobbled just a bit after another faint spell washed over her. The coma's after effects were getting to her.

"So... You don't trust Konan after all," Kakashi replied in an "A-ha" tone.

The slug summoner sighed in defeat, "You're right. We can't fully trust her. Not just yet anyway. She was an Akatsuki member and a person who killed innocent shinobi without thinking twice. But, I do not want you doing anything that could interfere with Naruto's training, so just keep an eye on them and make sure nothing happens."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Kakashi replied lazily.

"And also..."

It was around three o' clock once Konan and Naruto reached the newly made training grounds. The heat was sweltering as it was the hottest time of the day, but that didn't really matter to the Leaf village. People from Konoha were used to the heat and were still as adamant to continue building their village. Once Naruto showed her to the place he usually trains, she had to stop for a minute to take a breath, laying her weight on a new practice log by her arm. Just coming from the hospital the very same day and doing something like this was risky, but she felt like she had no choice. They would never get anything done in time if she didn't try to pack as much as needed into the lesson.

Naruto looked at her anxiously for a few seconds before he grew impatient. Finally, after waiting a little longer, her spoke up, "Well? What are we going to learn?"

Konan gazed at the boy before a frown took her face again, "Patience is a virtue. That is what usually gets Shinobi killed is the recklessness that comes from eagerness. You should know that. Anyway, while you are standing there doing nothing, activate your Rinnegan."

Naruto grumbled at the order he received from the blue haired Jounin and reluctantly activated his Rinnegan in front of her, displaying two purple rings on each iris.

That is when she pushed herself off of the log and walked over to Naruto, stopping about ten feet away.

"Okay, Naruto-san. Right now, I am your superior. I have listened, watched, and helped Nagato create and perfect his jutsu and skills so listen closely because I will only say this once," Konan stated, gaining the full attention of the only blonde there, "Now that you have acquired the Rinnegan, there are certain abilities that have been added to your skill repertoire. It also means you have gained an upper hand in learning new jutsu as they will somehow become easier for you to learn."

Naruto listened intently as the young woman continued.

"I am sure you are aware of the Bansho Ten'in and the Shinra Tensei from your fight with Nagato's Deva path?" Konan asked before she received an agreement from Naruto, "Well, those two techniques come with the Kekkei Genkai, just like, in example, how the Mangekyou Sharingan comes with the ability of Amaterasu."

Naruto did not know what that was and held his question about Amaterasu until later because he didn't want to interrupt the woman.

"Both moves are able to control the gravity that keeps us on the ground," Konan continues, "To go more in depth, Bansho Ten'in is the ability to pull any object towards you at your own free will by channeling your chakra through your hands. The chakra that is in your hands compresses until it creates its own gravity field in a small circumference inside your palm. The compression is so compact that it is generally invisible to the naked eye, which explains why you can't see it. This compression phase is also the reason why there is a five second window in both techniques. Anyway, wherever you point your hand while doing this attack, it will automatically be tugged to the source of the force. Depending on how much chakra you compress, the farther or heavier the object you can pull towards you.

"Oh, okay," Naruto replied with a sense of unusual understanding.

"Shinra Tensei, on the other hand, is similar to the Bansho Ten'in except it repels anything by gravity using the controlled chakra from your hands. To do this, you need to pressurize the gravity compression from Bansho Ten'in to a degree to where it becomes unstable. That is when the gravity becomes unbalanced in your palm and it erupts into an explosion, causing a gravity expulsion away from your palm," She gave hand gestures to further explain the process, "To do this move requires chakra control in the entire body as it could prove fatal if your chakra explodes without synchronization. Your body has to be in sync for the impact of the expulsion to not affect it. Also, in order to do the full Shinra Tensei, you have to cast both arms outward and expel gravity from both hands simultaneously. If done correctly, it will create a barrier of disrupted gravity around your body completely shielding you from any attack, just like what the Deva path used."

Konan let Naruto sink that information in for a second before she continued. She was surprised at his level of awareness but quickly realized that his Rinnegan was activated so she shrugged it off with indifference.

"Now, we shall give you a little practice," The Jounin replied while picking up a random stick off of the ground. It was about a foot long, one centimeter in diameter, and weighed no more than an ounce or two. She then threw the stick about thirty feet away from Naruto who watched in interest, "Now, since you already have a jutsu that is similar to this technique in a way, it will make things a little easier. What I want you to do is hold out your hand; aim it at the stick, and concentrate. Imagine your chakra as if you were making a Rasengan without making one, but keep compressing it in your hand until you can't see it. Then, once you do that, concentrate on the stick and imagine it coming to you."

"W-What?" Naruto asked in a shocked manner, "How am I supposed to do that? It's hard enough to make a Rasengan as it is, so how can I compress the chakra into nothing?"

"Just **think**," Konan replied in a nonchalant tone, "You have the Rinnegan, so it shouldn't be **that** hard."

The Jinchuuriki thought for a second before he realized what the woman was talking about. Then, with a simple sigh, he raised his right hand and began to concentrate on the stick. He thought about making the Rasengan and compressed it until it became invisible in his mind. Once he did that, he concentrated hard on the stick, trying to imagine that it was coming to him.

A few moments passed and then a few minutes passed until Naruto realized nothing was happening, "Konan-san, it's not working."

Konan looked at him annoyed and spoke, "It worked for Nagato so I don't see why it shouldn't work for you. It was easy to him. He did it on his first try."

"Well, sorry for not being as good as my cousin," Naruto replied heatedly still holding out his hand, "You think it's just easy to grab something without using your hands? Fine! I will just concentrate on the stick right now because it is just **so **easy," He then turned his eyesight to the stick and began sarcastically mimicking the pattern to grab it. That caused the blue haired woman to shake her head, "So I pretend to have a Rasengan and then imagine the stick coming to me. Hah! Like that-"

Chk! A soft pat on his palm interrupted his rant as his gaze faltered to his hand. To his amazement, the stick that he couldn't get just a second ago, happened to be atuck on his right hand like super glue, "What the? How-"

"See? Easy..." Konan replied with a self satisfying stare.

"But, why couldn't I grab it just a secong ago?" The blonde asked in befuddlement.

"You weren't concentrating with your eyes," The Jounin replied with a sigh as the stick fell from Naruto's hand, "You were concentrating with your mind. The Rinnegan is what makes the stick move, not your mind."

"Oh, well, why didn't you say that before?" The boy asked irritated because he looked like an idiot.

Konan scoffed at him, "I thought you already knew that. Either way, let's try it again so you get the idea of how the move works."

Naruto grumbled more to himself as the paper user picked up the same stick and threw it 100 yards, making its way into the forest.

"Now," Konan began, "You will use the same move you did previously but at a farther distance away. Concentrate with your eyes and aim your hand to the direction I threw the stick."

"Alright," The Jinchuuriki replied as he began to concentrate on the piece of wood.

His arm aimed at the stick intently waiting on its arrival. His concentration made him lose his awareness as he only thought of bringing the stick into his grasp. It was as if it was just him and the wood he was trying to grab was there. After another moment, right before he was about to give up, a shuffle of leaves attracted his attention and something shot out of the woods as fast as a bullet. It came straight at Naruto whose surprise was short lived as the stick came to his hand and abruptly stopped, encountering resistance. Once again, it wasn't as hard as he thought it was.

_'It's almost as if the Rinnegan tells him how much chakra to use,'_ Konan thought quietly while she watched Naruto laugh in excitement.

It was roughly six o' clock in the evening when Naruto and Konan decided to call it a day. She was training herself rather lightly in her jutsu while simultaneously helping Naruto refine his stick grabbing skills and eventually moved it up to logs roughly six inches in diameter and two feet long. Konan was impressed while unimpressed at the same time. She knew the Rinnegan helped the user master any type of jutsua, but she didn't really think it was also easier to master the gravity moves. He seemed to get the idea pretty quickly and it didn't even seem like he was tired, _'That moves consumes a pretty good bit of chakra and he has been doing it for the last three hours,'_ But then she thought about the boy's chakra and ignored her amazement upon the fact.

While walking away from the training grounds, Naruto heard a low growl from his stomach and laughed with a wry smile, "Well, I'm hungry now. Ha ha! Konan-san? Do you want to get something to eat?"

Konan glanced at him, a little interested in his request, "I guess I am famished as well. I don't know anything about this place, so you should show the way."

Naruto nodded with a slight smile, "There's only one place I know where you won't be rejected from."

That statement caused her to drop her head a bit. She just remembered that the village hates her. The only problem with this was the fact that she couldn't escape the situation. There was no way out and it almost scared her, _'Strange... Why does that scare me?' _She asked herself in silence. She hasn't been scared of anything since she was a kid and now the feelings roared its way to the surface, even if it was miniature in her state of mind.

"Don't worry about it Konan-san," Naruto told her, which brought her head up in confusion. Did Naruto know what she was thinking? "They are nice people and I don't think they will judge you as quickly as you think they will."

Konan widened her eyes about Naruto's reply. No, it wasn't what she was thinking, but it did make her feel a little happier once she realized there was still one person around who didn't loathe her. A slight smile overcame her face, knowing that, in a way, she still had a tie to Nagato, "Alright... Naruto-san."

It had taken a few minutes to reach the building. It was none other than the famous Ichiraku ramen stand that Naruto had grown accustomed to going to on a daily basis. They had just opened up today and Naruto was getting rather tired of cup ramen. Sure, he ate a little of the home made foods that stacked in his home, but most of it couldn't fit in his refridgerator, so he had to throw the rest out.

Once he pulled over the flap to let himself inside, a young woman greeted him with a cheerful voice, "Oh, Hey, Naruto! It looks like you received our message today! Welcome to the new and improved Ichiraku!"

Naruto grinned at her response and looked around the store and noticed things completely redecorated. It carried the traditional counter seats that people ate from, but everything from the back looked as if it cost a lot of money. New fryers, stoves, and other hardware to cook, were littered all over the back of the restaurant. It made Naruto a little happy for the Ichiraku's.

"Thanks, Ayame-chan," Naruto beamed to the yound brown haired woman, "I have someone with me today, so you can put their order on my tab."

"That's a first," Ayame replied cheekily, laying her arms on the counter, "Who is it? Are you **actually** going on a date?"

Naruto blushed about that statement and rubbed the back of his neck, "Nah. Nothing like that. She's just a friend of mine."

"So, it **is** a girl. Well, where is she?" The young Ichiraku asked the blonde anxiously, "I want to know who you brought with you."

"Ok, well, I will bring her in then," Naruto replied before motioning his hand, signaling the other person can enter.

Naruto opened a flap for the blue haired woman who entered with caution. Konan looked at the brown haired woman who looked into her eyed as well. It was sortr of nerve grueling because the paper user did not know whether or not to speak. She was unsure, if what what Naruto said was true, about how the stand would not discriminate.

Ayame gazed at her, until finally; a happy smile overtook her features, "Hello, Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen!"

Konan stopped for a brief minute for surprise to subside before she returned the greeting and sat down on a stool, "Thank you, I will be glad to eat here."

Two other people in the stand noticed the paper user's presence and left with a rain check, going out with a look of contempt upon their faces when they looked in the paper user's direction. That didn't go unnoticed by her nor the blonde Jinchuuriki.

"Did I hear Naruto come in?" An older voice called from the back to Ayame. An aged man walked into the front of the store carrying a towel wiping his hands thoroughly. His hair grayed with age and an apron wrapped on his body. It was none other than Teuchi Ichiraku. His face lit up in delight once he saw the young blonde sitting on a stool with a foxy grin.

"So it **is** you! Been a while hasn't it?" Teuchi asked the Jinchuuriki with warmth.

"It sure has and you know what I want!" Naruto replied with and enormous smile plastered on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, the usual!" The older man replied with a similar smirk, until he noticed the other presence in the room, "And who is this pretty young woman?"

"You flatter me saying such things, but my name is Konan," The blue haired Jounin replied with a slight smile at the end of her lips.

"Well... That's a lovely name," The older man replied with sweetness, "And what will you be having?"

Konan didn't really know what to eat. She wasn't a big fan of ramen for personal reasons, but she couldn't decline Naruto's offer. Plus, on top of that, this was really the only place she could go to eat without having to worry about discrimination so far. Earlier, when they were walking to the ramen stand, they both passed a few restaurants with people inside who noticed the blue haired woman walking by and the managers of the reastaurant passed evil glares toward her direction. They were stares of killer intent. They meant that she could not go there and the owners were not willing to negotiate.

Breaking from her ruminations, the Jounin looked up with concern before it disappeared in a flash, "I would like today's special, please."

"Coming right up! Ayame, you know the drill." Teuchi replied with a smile.

"Yes sir, right away," The young Ichiraku replied before going to the back and preparing the food.

Teuchi looked at the two ninja before him and replied, "Your food will be ready shortly."

"Thanks! I'm starved," Naruto replied before the older man returned to the back and helped his daughter.

Things got quiet for a minute as no one talked or brought up anything. Naruto and Konan were sort of in their own little worlds, reflecting on the past and wondering about the future. It wasn't until Naruto decided to say something that made tension fall from the little stand.

"Soooo... You are a wind nature too?"

That response seemed to stop Konan's reflecting and she turned to eye him, "How could you guess that?"

"Well," Naruto started again, "I saw you practicing your origami attacks while I was working on Bansho Ten'in and I noticed that all of your techniques have wind attributes. I never really knew that about you."

"Yes, while you did not see the full extent of my power because of my condition, I do indeed carry the Fuuton affinity. Although, I am surprised you would bring up something like that," Konan replied calmly averting her attention back to the counter.

Naruto didn't really have to think twice about that statement, "I brought it up because I have the Fuuton nature too."

"You do?" The blue haired woman asked in a bit of shock.

Naruto looked at her a little puzzled and lowered his voice to a whisper, "You didn't know? I thought **all** Akatsuki knew about their enemy?"

"While that may be true," Konan replied shifting her eyes back to the counter, "Information came rather slowly in our organization. I think the only time we actually found out about your affinity was when you fought Nagato's Deva path."

"Heh heh! I guess that's why I still overpowered Nagato," Naruto replied with a foxy grin.

"Possibly, but I do have one question," The paper user brought up, "How does the Rasenshuriken work? I heard Nagato commenting about it while you were fighting his Deva path. He said something about it involving wind and it seemed to annoy him so it must have been a rather powerful jutsu."

"Well, it **is** a jutsu I worked on while I was in Mt. Myouboku," Naruto began while gaining the interest of the woman to his right, "Basically; I create a Rasengan with another clone helping me mold the chakra. Then afterwards, I begin using my Wind nature to encase the Rasengan with Wind chakra. Once I do that, I push more Wind chakra into the move until the Wind blades start increasing in size and rotation. Then once it's ready, I just throw it and watch the fireworks."

"That's sounds... Complicated and difficult," Konan replied with an odd look of awe.

Naruto smiled at her again, "Yeah, I mean, I trained a very long time to do that, but the move is still not perfected though."

"What do you mean "Not perfected"? That seems like a move all to its own. How can something that strong not be completed?" Konan replied with a look of irritation.

"Well," The blonde spoke after a few seconds of thinking, "Before I left the hospital for my checkup after my fight with Nagato, they did a scan on me and told me that everytime I do that move, it affects my cells to a point where I lose a day of my life everytime I use it. It's sort of an issue with that technique."

Konan sunk her head a little low after hearing that. It seemed the life span problem was universal to every Shinobi. It only made her think of her friend even more than she wanted to.

"I believe you can do it," The blue haired woman replied hoarsely.

"Huh?" Naruto replied. He could barely make out what she said.

"I really think you can achieve that feat," Konan replied louder with confidence, "You have such a huge advantage already by bearing the Rinnegan. If anything, I want to help you with your attack if I can."

Naruto thought about it for a second. Another moment passed by before a grin crept across his face, "Sure. I'd like that. And who knows... Maybe I will teach **you **how to use it."

It was really confusing to Konan now. Naruto seemed to really trust her for him to explain how to do a move like that and even offer to teach it to her no less. But to have someone put full trust in her in only six days after their original encounter was a little strange. It was almost like a role reversal with someone she once knew.

"I knew you'd be here," A voice replied out of nowhere.

Naruto turned to look at who was talking and saw a silver haired, mask bearing Jounin behind him.

"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?"

"What? Can't I just drop by to say hey to a student of mine?" Kakashi replied innocently looking at the blonde.

Naruto glared unsatisfied at the Jounin, "But you already met me today, so this time **has** to be something else."

Kakashi looked over to the Jinchuuriki and wandered his eye over to Konan, who was looking back at him with interest on her face, _'They seem to be doing fine. Nothing unusual.' _"So, this is the new recruit? I'm assuming you already know my name and I already know yours, so no reason for introductions is there?" He replied with a masked smile.

"I guess not, but would prefer if we reintroduced ourselves, now that we are on the same footing," The blue haired woman replied with nonchalance.

Kakashi changed his look of happined into interest as he saw Konan reach her hand out in a greeting gesture.

"Hello, my name is Konan and I am a Leaf Jounin. What is yours?"

The silver haired man looked at her hand for a second before he let out a smile and grabbed her hand with a friendly handshake, "My name is Kakashi. Nice to meet you, Konan of the Leaf. I think we will get along just fine." _'Just as long as you don't get any funny ideas.'_

"So Kakashi-sensei, why are you here?" Naruto asked, clearly annoyed by the man's disregard of the blonde's question earlier.

"Huh?" Kakashi replied in confusion, "I thought I already told you. I like to visit my stu-"

"THAT'S A LOAD OF CRAP AND YOU KNOW IT!" Naruto screamed with self-righteousness.

Kakashi thought for a second, shifting his body position from one leg to the other, then let out an eye smile, "It's the truth. If I came here for anything important, you would be the first to know."

"Well," Naruto replied in defeat, "Alright. It was nice to see you too, I guess."

"That wasn't so hard was it?" Kakashi replied with a smile in his eye, "Now, I have things to attend to, so I will have to talk to you later," He then looked over to the blue haired woman and gave her an eye smile as well, "Later, Konan of the Leaf."

And with that, he started walking away from the two, lifting the flap over his head. He abruptly stopped after the flap left his silver hair and poked his head back inbetween the flaps, "Oh, by the way, both of you are to live together in Naruto's flat. Tsunade's order's...

Kakashi then did a Shunshin, leaving the couple alone in the restaurant. There was an absolute silence that encased the whole stand leaving nothing to make a sound.

"Alright guys! Naruto's usual and today's special!" Ayame replied placing their orders on the counter with a smile. The brown haired girl opened her eyes shortly after and looked at both of the satatue-esque figures standing in the lone stand, "Uhm... Hello?"

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**I wanted to give thanks to all of my readers and apologize for the long wait. I don't have internet. I actually had to rewrite this ALL on a BlackBerry, so if there are any typos, then please excuse them. I hope you enjoy!**

**Answer corner:**

**MeechMacko: His maturity develops through time. You'll just have to wait and see what I am talking about.**

**Any other reviews: I have taken everything you have said into consideration. I AM trying to make it seem like it would actually happen, so... Yeah. **

**Also, review my story as well. It let's me know what is on people's minds when they get done, so I can see if they are getting the gist of what is going on.**

**Thanks again. **


	6. Chapter 6: Understanding

**Hey all. It's another chapter from me. :)**

**Also, I am working at my own pace for the story. If people try to rush me, then I will never be able to finish it with my best. If I don't have new chapters uploaded for a month or more, one of two things have happened.**

**1.) I can't reach a source of internet to upload.**

**2.) I am in a very complex part of the story and it deserves special time to revise.**

**Now, onward to the story...**

**Thoughts: **_'Thoughts'_

**Speaking: **"Speaking"

**Chapter 6: Understanding**

It was morning time for the Jinchuuriki and the paper user. Dew began to slowly evaporate from the leaves and the birds chirped their songs in the wind that started the new day. The two ninja didn't really have the best night the night before because of some unusual living arrangements that had to be enforced. As it turned out, Konan had to lige with Naruto in his flat and that caused a lot of awkwardness to ensue. Konan didn't really mind the living arrangements because she would rather have a bed to sleep in than a cot in a tent like other ninja had to suffice with. Naruto on the other hand was in rejection to the arrangements and even ran down to the new halfway built Hokage tower and complained to the Godaime about it. Tsunade brought up a lot of many great reasons as to why this would be the best choice.

Luckily, Naruto's flat was one of the first things the village built again because if it wasn't, then they both would have had to share a tent together. The village was also enraged of her stay, so she couldn't live on her own. There would be many assassination attempts. Also, they will be training together because of Naruto's Rinnegan, so they would need to spend as much time together as possible, just in case something unusual happened. Their added time to each other also means they can learn from each other and build good teamwork with one another because they will need it. Plus, Konan felt obligated to stay around the Jinchuuriki anyway. Naruto mildly comlained but realized that everything Tsunade said was true. Konan didn't complain one bit. Her heart actually felt a bit calmer upon that information. It seemed the Sannin trusts Konan to be around Naruto even so far as to live with him. Wasn't Tsunade worried that something would happen?

Konan wouldn't have felt entirely comfortable staying in constant sight of the Jinchuuriki if they were to share a tent, although, not to say that she wouldn't have minded that either. If she had no choice then it was perfectly fine. It wasn't her first time having to get used to new living arrangements. It was a random thought that crossed her mind, but she still didn't like the idea of not having a room. She had one in Amegakure before battles broke loose in the city, but her place in Ame didn't matter anymore because her life was currently in the Leaf village protecting the next Prophetic child.

Of course, she remembered herself being the Amegakure Kage and fulfilling the responsibility of keeping the village safe. She actually thought about it a lot more than before, but her mind was made up about several things. The village is in no near danger any time soon because there is nothing of importance there for the Akatsuki to invade. Another thing that never left her mind was the fact that she was basically kept in Konoha against her will. Yes, she could hold her own against a few powerful Shinobi, but the village would only overpower her in the end and win. She also thought about the undeniable Will that was passed down to Naruto whenever Nagato saw him eye to eye. That will called for true peace. She almost forgot about her conditional yet unconditional protection to Naruto's well being. Conditional meaning she would get killed if she didn't follow up in Naruto's training and unconditional meaning that she wanted to protect Naruto for his passed down will and claiming him to be the true child of Prophecy. Mainly, the last part about protecting the boy was her reason for staying.

They found themselves beginning to practice in the training grounds. It was no later than eight in the morning and both ninja realized they needed to remain focused, so they started with practicing on his techniques again. Konan laid herself on the wooden log just like the day before to catch her breath, but didn't have to stay as long. Her recovery was going along rather well and it seemed as if she would be seemingly normal in the next couple of days. Naruto did some early stratches to prepare himself. He was utterly psyched upon learning more about these two techniques.

After another breath, Konan got up agai and looked at the eager blonde, "Alright, are you ready?"

"Oh man, are you kidding me?" Naruto blurted out out with excitement stirring in his voice, "I've been waiting since yesterday!"

She let out a smile that was barely noticeable but returned with her voice, "Okay, so you know the basic idea as to how to use the Bansho Ten'in. Now it is time to teach you how to use the Shinra Tensei."

Naruto got into his thinking pose and activated his Rinnegan for the lesson.

"But before I do that, there are some things I have to tell you about the Rinnegan before we start," She closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, "The reason I tell you to activate your Rinnegan is so you can everything I tell you. No, it is not like the Sharingan where you can copy countless jutsu, but it does give you better memory altogether. Do you remember everything that happened yesterday while your Rinnegan was activated?"

Naruto looked at her for a second and began to think, "Mmm... I don't know."

"Alright, well then I will help you remember with a simple question," She spoke with slight annoyance but with sinplicity, "How many times did you use the Bansho Ten'in?"

"That's easy," Naruto scoffed, "Two hundred and fifty eight times. Wait a minute. I always lose count when I practice, so I shouldn't have known that."

"That's exactly what I was trying to tell you. Rinnegan gives you a better memory of everything that happens," The blue haired woman replied with nonchalance, "It also gived you a clearer mind to where you can think rationally in even the most intense of situations."

"Wow. That's amazing," The blonde said with awe, "I see why Nagato was so strong now."

"Yes, but that does not cure the irrationality that you obtain through anger and rage. If you do not forget that, then you will be fine."

Naruto thought about her words for a minute. Anger tended to be a very difficult thing to ignore, since there were times where he couldn't really control himself, "Alright, I will try."

"Good. Since you now know this, I can teach you Shinra Tensei," She replied without much hesitation, "Shinra Tensei is a little harder to maneuver for several different reasons. But since I told you why yesterday, we can just start the lesson now."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement.

"Okay, you remember how I told you to compress the chakra in your hand until it becomes invisible?"

The blonde shook his head again.

"Well, this time you compress the chakra in your hand to where it becomes unstable. I am pretty sure this part will be a little easier to achieve since you have technically mastered the Bansho Ten'in," Konan replied dully, "Just so that same exact thing you did before except make it to where you synchronize your chakra throughout your whole body while simultaneously unbalancing your chakra in your hand."

The Jinchuuriki's face fell off from Konan's explanation, "You make it seem like it is SO easy."

The Jounin looked at him unimpressed, "You said the same thing about Bansho Ten'in and yet you have basically completed that move in one day. This one should be no different."

His expression changed from one of concern to one of happiness, then without saying a word, he began to try it out, closing his eyes to concentrate. He lifted his hand and put full focus into the move, opening his eyes again only seconds later brimmed with confidence. A faint whisper in the winds alerted something was happening before an explosion erupted out of Naruto's palm blowing him backwards into a tree. He hit it with much force, causing leaves to shake loose and fall to the ground. Once the momentum ceased, his body slumped over and he did not say a word.

"Naruto-san, are you alright?" Konan asked as she walked over to him. Slight concern etched across her face from Naruto's little stunt while she kneeled down next to the boy.

The Jinchuuriki brought brought his face up to match her eye level and began rubbing the back of his head with his hand while laughing sheepishly, "Hah! Guess I used too much chakra, huh?"

A sigh escaped her lips from the immediate laugh he gave her, "No, that's not it at all. Your body was not in exact sync with your chakra and it caused you to fly backwards. Look," She replied while lending a hand and helping him up, "The reason why I tell you to be in sync is because your body has to withstand the force the expulsion brings and that means you have to endure the gravitational force it releases."

"Ooooh," The orange clad ninja answered as if he just figured it out, "So just match my chakra level throughout my entire body while doing the technique and I should be able to stay in one place if I do this?"

"Precisely."

"Heh! Alright then," He replied with a determined grin, "This time, I KNOW I can do it!"

The blonde then closed his eyes one last time to concentrate and sync his chakra. He opened them shortly after and held out his right hand again just like he did previously. Once he did that, another whisper in the wind pierced through the air. A mere second later, a strong burst expelled from his hand causing dirt, leaves, and a few sticks to fly away opposite of his position.

A hand clap session was heard from Naruto's left once he finished. It made him feel really proud to know that he somehow succeeded in satisfying his teacher and succeeded in basically mastering the move. He turned his head to give her his trademark grin, but light heaves from her direction caused him to stop. He looked over to her and saw her face contorted with anguish in a feeble effort to stop the sudden rush of emotion. She pulled her hands up to her face and began wiping the tears that were continuously falling down her soft cheeks. Her sobs grew more and more uncontrolled as her heaving became irregular. She was clearly distressed, but the question was, what was it about?

Naruto though about it for a minute. It was really bothering him to see her look that way. She was in agony and her really didn't know why.

"Konan-chan, are you okay?" Naruto asked as he walked over to her.

She still sobbed even louder than before, completely ignoring the blonde's question, which left Naruto to stop in his tracks. He halted his hand from from reaching over to her and dropped it to his side. It seemed like this was one of those times where Naruto didn't know what to do. Thinking it was the best choice in the matter, Naruto just turned around and started walking away. He thought that there are just some times when people needed to be alone.

His steps faded as she continued lightly sobbing. She went over to a tree and slid her back against the bark all the way to the ground. Her conscious was spinning in all directions making her feel like she was going insane. It all came crashing down again, consuming her.

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Naruto paced himself through the streets of Konoha. His mind was somewhere else because he really wasn't watching where he was going. He bumped into a couple of people who, in return, gave angry shouts until they recognized who he was. Once they did, it went from meanness to niceness at the drop of a hat. They began shouting apologies and begging forgiveness for their rude behavior. The blonde merely shrugged it off and told them it was no big deal and walked away. He was too lost in thought to really care what others had to say. He was more concerned about Konan. He's been unusually broody ever since he came home from defeating Nagato.

"What is wrong with her? She just all of a sudden started crying," The blonde replied to no one as he sat down on a bench, "Is it because of him?"

He started pounding his fist on the bench forcefully creating cracks on its surface, "I don't understand!"

"Naruto?"

The Jinchuuriki looked up upon hearing his name and noticed a figure standing beside him. She carried her usual attire of red with her Hitai-ate going around her head pulling her pink hair up, "Oh, hey, Sakura-chan."

"Hey, I was wondering where you were," The pink haired girl replied with a smile while taking a seat beside him.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked putting his gaze to the ground.

"I am just helping rebuild Konoha on the west end and I decided to take a break. What about you? Aren't you usually training or something? It's kind of early for you to be sitting out here."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Sakura-chan," The orange clad boy replied with a smile.

Sakura then noticed something strange about her friend. He had that look on his face again. That same look he had when she helped him with Konan. That same look when he couldn't get Sasuke back. A look of guilt. It didn't only appear on his face, but it appeared in his eyes as well when he looked at her.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" The pink haired girl asked her long time friend.

He only stared at her for a second, then sunk his head a little lower than normal. He knew that Sakura could see through anything. That he tried to attempt so he answered truthfully, "No, not really."

"Is it about Sasuke?" The girl asked him quietly, who only shook his head in disagreement.

"No, it's about Konan-chan," Naruto responded with a depressed demeanor.

_'Chan?'_ Sakura though perplexed. But knowing that Naruto was troubled at the moment, she let that slide and kept it for later, "She's not doing anything to you is she? Is she trying to change you? Just tell me and I'll-"

"No, Sakura-chan, it's nothing like that."

"Well, what is it?"

Naruto thought about it for a minute. He had to put the right words into what he was about to say, so he looked around the area for a moment, then heaved a sigh and looked into the sky, "Well, she was training me today. Right now, I am learning how to use the Rinnegan and the moves that come with it."

"Rinnegan?" She shouted to Naruto wide eyed. She never knew that Naruto had the Rinnegan. Actually, she hasn't talked to Naruto since they healed Konan. He didn't really talk then either, so nothing was ever really said between the two of them. As of late she had been too busy helping the village restoration to actually give him time of day. That is not to say that she didn't want to see him. When she had breaks, he was never around his usual places where she normally found him, so it couldn't be helped.

"Yeah, Io have the Rinnegan. Nagato gave it to me."

"Nagato? Who's Nagato?" Sakura asked confused. She really wasn't in the loop of things that happened in the last week because of confidential reasons, but it sounded like she was about to get her fill.

"You know him as Pain, the guy who destroyed the village."

The kunoichi gasped at his answer. Pain was some guy named Nagato and he wilingly gave Naruto the Rinnegan? That seemed a little too far-fetched in her opinion. There is no way that he could give Naruto that type of responsibility. But then again, Nagato **did** revive everyone that died after what Naruto said to the man that made him second guess his reason.

"Okay, well, why are you depressed because of Konan?" The girl asked him a little curious. She figured now was not the best time to discuss al of this Akatsuki business out in the open since people were still trying to adjust. She didn't really trust the blue haired Jounin either so she had to get the scoop of what was troubling the young Uzumaki.

Naruto sighed softly, but quickly answered, "We were practicing today, just like the day before. Nothing was wrong really. Actually, everything was going great!" He then grew a moderate grin on his face at the recollection, "I learned how to do both of the gravity moves that Nagato knew how to do basically in two days and that is without having to use clones for added training time."

Sakura's eyes widened a bit after hearing that, _'Naruto learned those moves that destroyed the village, moves that require months of training for? There's just... No way.'_ This really stumped the pink haired girl in many ways. First off, Naruto was Naruto. It was not possible for him to learn an entire jutsu in a day, especially since they were very powerful and consumed a lot of chakra. As a matter of fact, it was literally impossible to learn a jutsu in a day. Second, he never even used his Kage Bunshin to help him cut down the training time which made no sense at all. Did the Rinnegan have something to do with that? She was quickly thrown out of her ruminations as she heard the blonde continue.

"Just as soon as I finally completed the Shinra Tensei, she... Started crying," Naruto hesitated as he finished his last statement. It was really bothering him to a degree where it was the only thing on his mind which was strange, "I called her name, but she didn't say anything. Then, I sort of left because I thought that she just wanted to be alone," He then looked at her with pleading eyes, "Sakura-chan, I don't know what to do. Why is she crying?"

The red dressed girl closed her eyes and pondered the situation. She didn't really know the whole ordeal so she was a little short on words. Hearing that Konan, an ex-Akatsuki, was crying, she felt like that sort of thing was impossible. But then again, she **is** human after all. For some reason though, hearing that Naruto left the blue haired woman alone, really upset her. Actually, that was the first thing that came to her mind when he said that.

"Why did you leave her?" Sakura asked in an annoyed tone.

"Huh? I-I thought sh-"

"Let me aske you a question, Naruto. Did you want to be alone whenever you cried?"

"Hey. Wait a-" The blonde boy was taken aback by what she asked. He tried to rebuttal the question only to be cut off by Sakura again.

"Even if she was the enemy, she is still just a person like you and me, no matter how hard I don't want to accept it," Naruto tried to say something in Sakura's rant but she overpowered his voice leaving him with nothing but a squeak, "Naruto, she is obviously in a state of anguish. She's been forced to live in Konoha against her will and I don't think that is something to easily get over. Even though you did save her life, it's not like she asked you to save her," The girl sat her back to the back rest and heaved a sigh, "Honestly, I don't know exactly what's going on in her head, but I do know that if I was in a situation like she was in then I would be the same way."

That little outburst really left him speechless. Sakura was right. Naruto didn't have to save her but he did anyway. Not only that, now Konan was forced to live in Konoha.

"That's right... She can't leave. AGH! Damn it! I totally forgot she was forced to stay here. Why didn't I plan this better? I'm such an idiot!" He began to pound his fist on his leg in a fervent attempt to recognize his problem. Of course, Konan would be upset about being forced somewhere she doesn't want to live. He was left feeling a little numb. He had to make it up to her somehow, but the question was how was he going to do that? There was nothing that he could do to make her forgive his short-sighted decisions.

"Honestly, Naruto," Sakura began with her usual bashing on the blonde, "I thought you would have grown up by now, but I guess you never really did learn anything, huh?"

Naruto looked down into his lap once she said that. It was the usual when it came to Sakura. He would always do something wrong and end up hearing his faults and what he did wrong. She was more like a mother scolding her child everytime he did something, "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Huh?" The pink haired girl wasn't really expecting that one. He usually tried to back himself up with his answers and usually says something that is irrelevent. It was as if it was actually getting to him.

"Yeah, you're right, Sakura-chan. I just... Don't know what to do."

Sakura began brooding about it by placing her hand on her chin, "The only thing you can do now is apologize to her, although I doubt that will do anything being as how it wouldn't really matter."

Naruto sighed and slumped over even more at her declaration. She was really cutting him down. The girl noticed his state and it made her hesitant to say any more. She really wasn't helping him at all and it took her a few seconds to realize it. He probably already knew that he couldn't change anything and she was only adding to the fire. She grinned slightly to try and turn things around.

"Hey! It's not like you to be so down. Lighten up!" She replied while giving him a slap on the back, "I'm sure you'll figure it out, Naruto. You tend to figure everything else out on your own, so what makes now any different? You're not going to let something this small affect you, are you?"

He looked at her from thge sudden back slap. She showed solid support for the blonde boy and it made him realize one of the reasons why he liked her, "Heh. Yeah... I guess not."

"That's great to hear," Sakura stated happily, "Now, are you going to be depressed all day or are you going to try and fix the problem?"

His smile widened before it turned into his trademark foxy grin, "I'll fix it."

"Great! Who knows, Naruto? Maybe she could end up falling for you and you both could end up in a kinky relationship," She replied with a mischievous grin.

Naruto blanched after that but did a one eighty and blushed afterwards, "Aw, Sakura-chan, don't say something like that," He then slumped over in embarrassment causing the pink haired girl to laugh.

"Sorry, sorry," She giggled while waving her hand dismissively and looked at Naruto. However, that gaze slowly changed into a confused look on her face. She didn't know what it was, but something else was different about her Jinchuuriki friend. Naruto noticed her odd looks and brought them to question.

"What? What is it?"

Sakura startled from her eyeing the boy, quickly asked unsure, "Did you... Do something to your hair?"

The blonde simply stared at her with a similar puzzled expression before answering, "No. It's the same as it always has been. Why do you ask?"

She looked one more time before sighing and producing a smile, "It's nothing. Anyway, I guess I'm going to go. The village doesn't build itself, you know?"

"Alright, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied with perplexity.

They then bid each other farewell as the pink haired girl left. After she was gone, his face went blank as he was faced with the challenge of apologizing to his new team mate.

Space break)

**Another chapter gone. Huh... Already? Well, either way, thanks for the comments and favorites and even story alerts. I try my best.**

**I will continuously say this. Review. Review. Review. Review. I like hearing things from the readers perspective. They give me insights on what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong.**

**Thanks again.**

**Next chapter: Chapter 7- From the Heart.**


	7. Chapter 7: From the Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**A/N- This is, by far, the longest chapter I have ever written. It has taken me a while to write it, not only for the longevity of the chapter, but for the sensitivity and delicateness that the contents pertained. **

**To SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan: You pointed out that my story doesn't have a solid plot. Lol. Patience my friend. Certain things have to take place first. Once they do, things will speed up and many events will occur. Like I said before in a previous author's note, a bunch of things have to fall into place first before it picks up the pace. Thanks for reading by the way. ****J**

**To Ncpfan: I've taken Kurenai into consideration. :]**

**To El Frijolero(Formerly known as Vixenlive): Thanks for leaving constant reviews. I'm glad you like my portrayal of Konan's emotions. That's what I am aiming for. **

**Thoughts: **_'Thoughts'_

**Speaking: **"Speaking"

Chapter 7: From the Heart

'I don't know what's going on with me. I feel like I can't take it much more. Nagato…'

**First Person View**

It was another day for me. The second day of my permanent stay in Konoha. This was so confusing. Of all of the people I could have ended up being around, what was I thinking for allowing my guard to fall so low? This village despises my very existence and yet I am living in it. I knew this would happen if I ever let it get this far. That's why I didn't join Naruto in his original offer in the first place. But… somehow I am here. It was almost as if fate was actually playing with us all like puppets on strings. Was there a purpose?

I got up and started a slow pace through the forest not really thinking where I was going. I just wanted to be alone. Just being around Konoha sent shivers down my spine. The tears kept coming and coming, but it was hopeless to even try to stop them. Every attempt to seize and desist these forsaken tears only let them flow even more. I'm crying, but I don't even know why.

Konoha. Just thinking about this place makes me dizzy. It's like I am their property. What was my reason for staying? Why did I bother to even train that simple minded boy? He's so naïve with his ideals. What makes him think that he can save the world?

It made me angrier the more I thought about it. Why did I trust in him? How can Nagato put so much trust in this boy, who can't even do a fraction of what he could do? Everything about him is just so annoying. Even last night, when he treated me to ramen, He didn't even bother to use manners. What was he, four years old? Even Jiraiya-sensei had proper etiquette while he ate, while not much for anything else. He just gets under my skin. Clearly Nagato was not in his right state of mind when he thought this would work, placing that Chakra rod fragment into Naruto like that. Whatever his thoughts were, I highly doubt they were rational.

I continued walking through the forest replaying my thoughts over and over again. It was a cacophony of noise that wouldn't go away. _Why stay here and help him? He is the enemy, why do you trust him? Why did Nagato end his life for this boy's benefit? _I don't know why. Everything about this seems wrong. Is Naruto really the child of Prophecy? Even I couldn't figure out exactly what makes Naruto a little different from the rest. He's so childish. And that smile…

That was when I stopped my train of thought. His smile was different. That warmness it created. It seemed like his smile could brighten the whole entire village and leave a glow for days. For some reason, every time I am around him, it is as though I don't have as much to worry about. Can I honestly feel that way about someone who seems to know nothing?

"He's young."

**End First Person**

Konan turned her head and saw a silver haired, mask bearing Jounin walking right behind her. His expression was neutral but you could feel a knowing vibe radiating off of him.

"Is there something I can help you with Kakashi?"

"Not really," Kakashi replied firmly, "I am just watching you to make sure you don't do anything rash."

She smiled sadly followed by a light scoff, "Tch. It's not like I could leave if I wanted to. I would be dead before I even get halfway out of this place."

"Hmmm, True," He replied with acceptance, "But I doubt Naruto would allow that to happen."

"What do you mean?" That gained her interest rather quickly.

"Right, believe it or not, he already sees you as a comrade. He doesn't let his friends die so easily," The silver haired man responded while gazing into the sky.

Her eyes widened slightly from what she just heard, _'Comrade?'_

"Yes, in his eyes, you are already his friend," Kakashi came back as if answering her unvoiced question, "And although I don't totally agree with your residence, it's not really my decision either."

Konan didn't have any retort to that statement. It only left her to ponder more on the reasons she survived that fight with Madara. If Naruto wasn't there to come in and save her the way he did, she would have died and hit the final nail in the Akatsuki trio's coffin. Naruto was there almost as if he already knew, but she knew her friend Nagato had something to do with that. He came just in time to save her and basically gave her a second chance. Her eyes widened slightly once she thought about something. It was something that she didn't think about earlier and would keep the new question for later.

"Naruto is a strange character, Kakashi," The blue haired woman replied bluntly while staring at the ground.

The man sweat dropped at her statement while closing his eye and rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, he gets that a lot. But," The male Jounin continued while opening his eye again, "It's just the way he is. Everything he does influences everybody. He has a strange way of getting into everyone's heart."

Konan couldn't help but feel a little truth coming from that statement. She thought about how Nagato changed after hearing Naruto's explanations in the hollowed paper tree, "I can see that from the way the villagers view him. It's almost as if everyone depends on him."

"Well, you can say that," Kakashi replied in a slightly resigned voice, "He's like beacon of hope that gives everyone confidence, not only in themselves but with the entire village as well."

'_Maybe… Maybe that's what keeps me around him,' _She thought while looking around into the trees, _'I __**did**__ say that he gave everyone hope. Did I think I was an exception?'_ Her thoughts went back to her fight with Tobi/Madara again during the time she spoke so confidently about Naruto's light.

"I know. He gave me hope as well," The blue haired Leaf-nin replied solemnly while looking over her shoulder. She started taking a few more steps toward the Leaf village while wiping her eyes, "And don't worry about me. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Not because I have no choice, but because I have a duty to fulfill. He is the child of Prophecy after all," She then paced alone back into the village leaving Kakashi to himself.

Once he was alone he started quietly thinking, _'The village isn't the only thing that Naruto seems to be getting to.'_ After that was said a slight smile crossed his face, "Maybe she isn't all bad."

(Space Break)==============

Whispers came from all directions as a woman walked through the village and rubble. Things were sort of a mix match of buildings and debris as people were busily working trying to fix their old lives that they cherished. It didn't take long before people realized who was walking beside them and they immediately dispersed trying to get away from her. Most people who already knew who she was just ignored the woman and pretended like she wasn't there, as if she were a part of the background that held no significance. She didn't care though. Obviously she wanted to tell them off, but trying to talk to people who were living in their own world was kind of hard to achieve. You can't tell anyone something if they were too blind to take things into consideration. What was the point? They would only ignore her or talk over her which was something common to people who wouldn't understand what she had to go through.

She was currently brooding at the moment which was something that was becoming a habit for her. She wasn't just in thought because now she fell back into her anger phase again. It seemed as though what Kakashi said didn't really stick with her very long because she was already thinking that Naruto knew nothing of her. She layered herself with more denial at the boy and what he can achieve although earlier she said herself that she believed that Naruto is the Prophetic child and that he gave everyone hope. Her random mood swings were getting more severe the longer she stayed around here.

While the woman was in her thoughts, an ANBU member poofed randomly in front of her. It didn't scare her, although it did make her flinch because she was deep in thought beforehand. The ANBU stood only for a second before he ordered, "Follow me."

Knowing she wouldn't be able to decline, she nodded her head silently and let him lead the way.

After following the ANBU for several minutes, they came across another end of the village. It had a lot less people in it who were busily building houses and frames for support. People were painting, lining electricity, creating plumbing systems, fixing roofs, and whatever other mundane tasks that were required to build housing. You could also see a small group of children playing off to themselves across the street from where the buildings were being built. Two were girls while the other two were boys and each child looked no older than five years old. The sight of the children playing and enjoying themselves almost brought a smile to her face. Almost…

"Alright," The cloaked figure replied to the blue haired woman, snapping her attention away from the children, "Your task is to help these people in whatever they require your assistance for. You will continue working until they stop working," The ANBU was replying in an authoritative tone signifying it wasn't a request but a command.

She only nodded her head again and looked unamused at her surroundings until a voice broke through the air.

"So, is this our help that was sent to us by the Hokage?" An older man, roughly in his fifties or sixties with small rectangular glasses whose hair was graying on his head and goatee from age came up while grasping a hammer in his hand and laying it on his shoulder.

"Yes, Tazuna-san, this Kunoichi will be aiding you with your work for today."

"Good, Good," The elder man replied while rubbing his chin, "She will do just fine. All I needed was one person and it looks like I can now settle my worry."

The ANBU looked at the new Jounin once more before he disappeared by Shunshin, leaving Konan with the elder man. He gave her a once over and smiled before he wiped his forehead with his arm, "Well, grab some tools and let's get down to it, shall we?"

She only nodded her head with an emotionless mask across her face, took the tools that were lying around and began doing whatever Tazuna asked of her.

(Space Break)

It was around three o'clock, the hottest part of the day. Konan had been helping basically all day and was seeing the effect on herself. She was sweating profusely and always asking for water more often than necessary, but she never did complain or bother about anything else other than being dehydrated. It was more or less like she was on autopilot and just doing the labor like a machine. Numb to life and her surroundings and only did what she was told. Sometimes she would also mumble something to herself, but it was always too low to make out whenever she did say something so it was ignored.

Tazuna began to watch the woman as she slowly descended into an even more robotic state, if that were possible, and began to question it. He may be old, but he knew that something was troubling the young woman and keeping her from giving her all to the project. She was a Leaf Ninja. She should be more willing than even the foreign builders around here.

She began to raise another structure beam for the second story of a house, making sure it was perfectly straight and at the location it was needed. When she went to grab nails and the hammer to put it in place, the beam began to lose balance and started tilting in the direction of other beams that were currently unattached because other workers were busy with those beams about to nail their own.

"Hey, you shouldn't leave the beam unattended, it might hurt somebody," A grizzly voice said to Konan as she looked over and saw the same gray haired man she met earlier holding the beam with his two hands with a smile.

Her eyes widened a little but she regained her mask, not wanting to really talk to the man, "Sorry," She replied with blank eyes while taking the wood from his hand and placing it back where it was before.

The man looked at her for a moment but started working beside the woman trying to keep a steady pace with himself. After watching her continue with her mechanical behavior, he decided that now was the time to speak up, "Look, I know it's not really my business, but I am just curious to know if you are alright."

"Yes," She replied blankly and hastily to him not really veering her eyesight from the work she was doing.

Tazuna sighed at her quick remark, "Look, I've seen a lot of people do the same thing, so I know when you say you're fine, you're not really fine."

"You are right," The blue haired woman responded to him calmly still busily working on another support board.

Tazuna widened his eyes at the sudden agreement she replied to him, "So, there really was-"

"You were right about it not being your business," She retorted to him making his face turn slightly sour.

After his face turned sour though, he changed it to acknowledgement as he thought to himself. _'It seems as though she doesn't want to talk about it. Maybe I can get…'_

He began to raise another beam as he started talking, "You know, I had a friend, no, a son who died as a hero amongst our village," Konan continued working as if she wasn't listening, so Tazuna continued, "But a thug took control of our village and made it seem like my son was a criminal for doing heroic deeds. That evil man… took my son and executed him in the town square," He paused slightly at the memory and closed his eyes while a sigh escaped his lips, "Of course, it left the whole town in shock, not only for the execution, but for the fact that he was a hero amongst them that fell at the hands of this evil man. Needless to say, the whole town lost hope and I fell into a depression along with my daughter and grandson. We all lost hope."

Konan stopped, but for only a second once she realized that she was listening and continued what she was doing.

"The entire town and I decided that we needed a bridge so we could get supplies a lot faster and have a booming economy. After our hero fell out, our village took a turn for the worst and we lost all trades coming into the village. It was mainly due to the evil man that controlled our land," He then shifted his eyesight to the beam and began hammering, "While we were working on the bridge however, the evil man began killing off the bridge builders and endangering all of the rest that were alive because he felt this bridge was a threat to his services, which it was," He picked up another nail and began hammering it into the beam, "We were in a bind and not really knowing what else to do, so we decided to hire a group of Leaf ninja to protect us until we finished the bridge. But morale was falling between the bridge builders, so most of them quit. Since I was the leader of the bridge builders, I had a duty to my village and my family to build that bridge," He lowered his eyes, "So I never gave up and I tried my hardest to finish as fast as I could. It wasn't until a scuffle with a missing Mist ninja that I thought it was the end of me. He was hired by the evil man to kill me and the rest of the bridge builders so that we couldn't finish," Tazuna began pounding with the hammer again trying to keep his body occupied and to relinquish some of that mental stress, "While the ninja I paid for assisted me, I met the Mist ninja for the first time. He was a very cruel man when I met him. He was out to get me and I knew it when I saw him. The ninja I hired protected me and defeated the man."

The blue haired woman stopped hammering and continued listening. She was actually listening to his story, although she also figured that it wouldn't help to try and stop him. Not only that, but she didn't want for him to stop, which was odd to her.

Noticing discreetly that she was actually paying attention to him, he played a smirk on his face and continued, "I was escorted to my home and began building on the bridge. The ninja watched over me and the other builders while we worked, but…" He stopped a second for added effect, "That same Mist ninja came back and tried to attack again. Those ninja fought their best to defeat him and his team mate that helped him. Unknowing to us, the evil drug lord decided to ambush us all during the fight and thought he could outnumber us to win," Tazuna picked up a beam and put it in place, "That Mist ninja then realized that he no longer had to kill me and went after the thug and mini army he created and ended the evil man's life."

He turned and gave her a grin causing her to immediately turn her head and continue her building as if she was never paying attention to him in the first place.

"Needless to say, we were able to finish the bridge and gain a prospering village again," That statement caused the man to heartily laugh out loud. Others looked at him with a grin, probably workers from the village he came from, but only for a moment before continuing on their tasks, "I was so grateful to the ninja that helped me that I even named the bridge after one of them," His laugh then died down and he put on a confident look, "The one I named it after… was the one that gave me and my family the courage and hope to move on, continue with our lives, and never give up. When I first met him, I thought he was just another brat who didn't give a damn about anything but himself. But once I realized that he never gave up on his word and was even the one that wanted to ensure my safety the most, I changed my mind about him," A thankful smile appeared while he said the next few words. He looked over to Konan who had forgotten that she was even looking at him and said, "He gained my respect. The boy was very strong and selfless. Something that the entire village of mine needed for a while. In our village's eyes, he is pronounced a hero. His name… is-"

"Naruto Uzumaki…" The blue haired woman replied barely over a whisper.

Tazuna gave her a surprised look as it quickly turned into a smile, "Oh, so you know him?"

Konan's eyes widened slightly at the man's sudden answer, _'Naruto was-'_

A round of laughter from a group of children kept her from finishing her thoughts. After hearing the children, Tazuna noticed them and walked over to the edge of the building from the second floor to see the little kids from earlier. They were playing around and on top of a building that was still in shambles, right next door to the building they were fixing. The one next door looked close to collapsing on itself and they were playing like it was no big deal. With a great shout and a hand to his mouth to enhance the sound, the man yelled to them, "Hello, young children! I'm sorry, but you can't play in the buildings. Please move into the street! That house is dangerous!"

Konan couldn't hear the children too well, but she could make out something that sounded like a "yes sir" and a shuffling of feet.

Tazuna walked back over to Konan and gave her a smile, "Sorry about that. So as I was saying, you really-"

BAM! BOOM! BAAAAAM!

A giant sound erupted from the building next door as it began to crumble and fall to the ground. All three stories of it. The workers all huddled to the edges of the second story to get a good glimpse at what happened even though they missed most of it and just saw the ending where smoke plumed into the air. Tazuna looked at it for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief before walking back over to the blue haired woman's direction, "Well, at least the children got out of it before-"

"AAAAAAHHH! MIYO-CHAN!"

Tazuna's face went morbid as he rushed back to the edge of the project. He looked over and saw three kids huddled together in shock. If he remembered correctly, there were four children instead of three. A girl was missing from the group, "A LITTLE GIRL IS TRAPPED INSIDE THE BUILDING!"

"WHAT?" A male worker shouted as he looked over. He noticed the building in its state as his face went serious, "WE HAVE TO GET HER OUT OF THERE!"

"ALL RIGHT EVERYONE, FOLLOW- HUH?"

Tazuna stopped once he saw Konan dash through the beams and jump. She offered almost no patience for the rest of the builders as she turned into hundreds of papers and flew to the crumbled mess that was once a home.

Once she reached the building, she formed back into herself from her waist up and asked the children, "Where was she when you last saw her?"

They were too scared to speak, so they pointed into the collapsed area in the same direction. Konan narrowed her eyes and dispersed herself into hundreds of papers again and flowing herself through the entire building going through all of the nooks and crannies that the building had to offer. After about ten or fifteen seconds, one of the papers attached itself to a human figure huddled into a corner of the building lightly sobbing to herself. All of the rest of the paper came to the one piece that found the girl and slowly formed itself into Konan again. After ten seconds or so, Konan was kneeling down next to the girl looking at her feeble figure. The space was a tight squeeze, but had enough room to fit another person in it before it became uncomfortable.

"Are you alright?" The Jounin asked the little brown haired girl.

The girl lifted her head up to reveal watery green eyes and lightly nodded her head. Konan stared at the girl in thought, _'Good, at least she's uninjured.'_

"Alright, I am going to get help get you out of here. I'll be right back," The woman replied to the feeble girl. As soon as Konan got up to leave, the little girl grabbed the Jounin's sleeve tightly and started crying onto the woman.

"Please, d-don't leave me alone. I-I'm scared."

Konan felt a pang in her chest. It was an unusual feeling, but it was a feeling that gave her a forlorn look on her face. She couldn't place her finger on it but the feeling was something familiar. After brooding for a moment, she began to speak in a gentle tone, "Don't worry, I will protect you and get you out of here safely. I promise," When she said those words she put on a slight smile that made the girl stop crying almost instantaneously.

She tried once more to get up only to have the little girl grip on her sleeve even tighter than before. Another grief stricken look appeared on the Jounin's face as she stared back down at the girl.

"Don't go. Please stay with me."

That statement caused her to hesitate. Should she really leave a child in here alone? It would only be a moment before Konan was back. But what if something happened to the little girl while she was outside relaying the information of the young girl's condition? After another moment, Konan created a paper clone of herself that then dispersed through the rubble to tell the other workers of the child's location and the damage.

After about five minutes or so, the workers finally pulled the shambles apart to reveal a quiet Konan with a female child cuddling beside her. Many of the worker's faces lit up upon seeing the young girl was safe. When Konan pulled herself out of the building with the girl cradled in her arms, Tazuna put on a relieved grin.

"I checked her for any problems and she is fine," The blue haired woman replied to Tazuna and the rest of the workers.

"That's good," Tazuna responded with a sigh, "Anyone else in there?"

"No. It was just the girl and I," Konan retorted rather tiredly.

Tazuna looked at the girl cradled in the Jounin's arms and grew a warm smile at the picture, _'So, the woman does have a heart after all,' _He thought quietly watching the scene before him.

"Miyo-chan! My precious daughter, where are you?"

"MOMMY!" The girl yelped happily in the direction of her mother's voice.

Pushing through the crowd of people that gathered at the sight was a woman with long brown hair and dark Pine Green eyes, "OH MIYO-CHAN, THERE YOU ARE!" The woman came up to her daughter and almost teared up at the revelations of the young girl's cuts and bruises.

The girl ripped herself from Konan's arms and ran to her mother with a wide smile on her face. The mother saw her daughter and opened her arms to allow the little girl to jump in them freely. Once a few tears were shed from the couple, the girl burst with excitement and pointed at Konan, "Mommy, Mommy! That woman saved me!"

"Oh really?" The woman answered with an exaggerated smile. She then cast her gaze upwards and soon found a lock of eyesight with the blue haired woman. A slight frown began to form on Konan's features once she saw the girl's mother produce a scowl emanating a disgusted pressure.

"Mommy, are you… alright?" The girl asked her mom who quickly shed her disgust and put on a warm front as if her actions earlier never happened.

"Of course dear, I am fine now that you're safe," She replied cheerily while snuggling her nose to her daughter's hair. She nuzzled back and forth a few times until a slight rub across something foreign caught the woman's interest as she opened her eyes, "Miyoko, what is this?"

The girl's grin spread even wider, "Oh, that nice woman gave it to me. Isn't it pretty?"

The mother looked in the young child's hair and saw a white origami flower wrapped into her hair in a similar style that Konan used herself. A light frown appeared on the woman's face as she peered over to the Jounin that saved her daughter's life. A fraction of a second later, the mother pulled the flower from the girl's hair and tossed it on the ground, but not without a temper tantrum from the little one held in her hands.

"Mommy, what are you doing? That was mine and that nice lady gave it to me!"

"Enough! I will hear no more of this. We are going home," The woman sneered while she began taking steps away from the buildings.

"H-Hey wait a minute! Aren't you going to give the ninja a "Thank You" or something?" Tazuna asked while raising one of his hands in the air as if he was trying to flag her down.

The mother stopped in her tracks as she turned her head and gave a look that could kill, "As if I would ever be grateful to someone like her," She then continued walking, leaving the builders to glare at her with revulsion. After another moment slipped by, the gray haired man changed his face into one of disapproval.

"What a hateful woman," Tazuna responded while sauntering himself over to the blue haired Jounin, heaving a sigh while he did so, "People have certainly changed nowadays."

Konan didn't say anything. There was nothing to say, really. The woman knew who she was and treated her as if she were nothing more than a common rat. A sorrowful face took hold as the Jounin silently walked over to the lone Origami flower that was thrown on the ground and gently picked it up with an uneasy hand. Staring into the flower she fell back into her thinking phase and tried to swallow it up. But the longer she dwelled on it, the harder it was to stifle her emotional cracks. A few moments passed before Tazuna walked over to Konan and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" The gray haired man asked with concern trying to get a view of her face.

Konan took the flower from her hand and gently let it fall apart in her grasp before she turned her face to view the worried man, "I'm fine," She then put on her emotionless face and tried hard not to cry as she started walking toward the half built building. When she turned her body to walk however, Tazuna could have sworn that he saw a tear fall from her eye. She had to get out of here, this village, because if she didn't soon, she would probably go mad.

(Space Break)

It was nine thirty at night and there was still no sign of Konan. Naruto had gone through several ramen cups in his apartment just to try and stop his anxiousness. He tried to tell himself that it wasn't anything spectacular, that it was just because she had to work a little late than normal. It was his constant jitters that confused him but all the same made him worry even more. Could she have been ambushed? No, she is much stronger than that. But she did say that she wasn't going to put up a fight if she did get jumped by someone didn't she? She didn't say that she wasn't going to defend herself though. Plus, the Hokage told the villagers that they couldn't mess with her. After running those thoughts through his head, his worrisome feelings left him for the time being.

He had his typical orange ninja gear folded and put into a drawer as he felt more comfortable getting into something more house appropriate. He put on some cargo shorts and a black shirt that had an imitation of the Uzumaki swirl on the front. The swirl was colored orange as the boy's cargo shorts were a paste color.

The blonde ripped the packaging of another ramen cup and began pouring water into it. After he finished that, he turned off the faucet and went over to the microwave to place his ramen cup on the turntable. He then closed the door with a click and pressed the three on the microwave which beeped and started cooking the ramen counting down from three minutes. He sighed to himself at the unarrival of the blue haired woman. Why was he so stressed out over this? He didn't even know her that well.

He paced over to the couch and plopped himself onto the cushion in a tired manner. Was he really tired? He didn't do much today, but he felt as if the life had been drained from him. He looked out into the dimly lit street from his giant window and saw a person or two walk past his house now and then. The people in his village have softened to the idea of him being around. He remembered back to the time where no one ever came down his street unless it was absolutely necessary, but they would move rather hastily to avoid contact with the supposed "demon" that they feared. Now when he sees people outside, it is as though the people are comfortable and even almost happy that they are walking down his street. A total mirror opposite of what was normal to Naruto back in the day.

He looked over at the new bouquet placed on the windowsill that was left to him the night before after Konan remembered the others turned to ash and pondered her safety again. His gaze stared into the flowers in a spacey manner as he reminisced about the times when he was still a preteen. Things were so much simpler then. He didn't have to worry about anyone specifically after him. He didn't have to worry about doing anything he didn't want to do. It was just him and team seven doing missions and enjoying each other's company. Even though things were far from perfect, they were happy times.

Now it's as though things took a turn for the worst. Sasuke, a member of team seven, defected from the Leaf. Kakashi already died once and the Akatsuki came after the Jinchuuriki and hunted him down, all because that Madara guy was in control the entire time.

**(Flashback)**

_Naruto shook his head as his Rinnegan faded into his normal ocean blue eyes. They still felt like they were pulsating but it was slowly fading away through time. Nagato watched the boy as he composed himself and gained proper footing. After obtaining this kind of new power so quickly, the red head knew that it took a little time to adjust._

"_Naruto," He called gaining the interest of the blonde. The Jinchuuriki blinked a few times and looked upon the crippled man who had seriousness in his eyes which was totally the opposite from a moment ago, "There is a man that you have to look out for. He is the one behind everything. The collection of Bijuu and every other mission that was completed throughout Akatsuki was actually under authority of this man. His power is great and he is a terrible threat to yours and Jiraiya-sama's vision of peace."_

_Naruto didn't know what to say to that. He always thought Pain was the one behind it all, but it was this other man that the blonde didn't know. The boy grit his teeth but continued to listen._

"_He used me as a tool and used my pain and inner turmoil as a catalyst for his diabolical plan of world domination. I didn't know it right off the bat, but I overheard him while I was investigating his character. I didn't trust him the moment I laid my eyes on him and realized my suspicions were correct once I overheard him talking to another Akatsuki member, the one known as Zetsu," Nagato lowered his head in a shameful manner, "But while learning his plans, my pain and hatred still overtook me and I fell oblivious to the outcome of his scheme if it were to ever come to fruition. I only cared about creating peace through devastation and thought I could wipe him out whenever I had all of the Jinchuuriki. Truth be told, before I ever fought you, the man came to me ordering that it was time to capture you. I had an idea of his plans then and it made it even worse because I already knew who you were. It made me hesitant, but I had to comply. In this… machine," Nagato threw his eyes to the floor, "As much as it aids me, leaves me just as vulnerable if anyone were to ever attack. I had to act."_

"_Nagato, are you telling me that you knew what he was planning the entire time?" Konan asked in a concerned voice._

_Nagato looked over to his team mate and gave her a light nod, "That's right, Konan."_

"_But, why didn't you tell me! I could've-"_

"_This is exactly why I didn't tell you," The Rinnegan wielder retorted with a calm tone, "I knew you would overreact and try to abandon everything that the leader worked for. It would've been foolish and you would have been killed upon treason."_

"_But Nagato-"_

"_I understand Konan, but you have to realize that there is a time and place for everything and that time would have been irrational. I was only trying to protect you."_

_The blue haired woman had no rebuttal and fell deafly silent as she turned her view away from her friend._

_Naruto clenched his teeth even harder and began digging his fingers into his palms. Hearing their conversation that was passed between another was almost unbearable. This type of manipulation was unacceptable in his eyes. His own cousin was being used as some human meat puppet to a man that doesn't even appreciate it, "Nagato," He growled in a deep tone, "No one should ever have to go through something like that."_

"_That is why I am telling you all of this," The red head answered as he took in more shallow breaths, "This man needs to be stopped. If he is not, then the world as we know it will perish along with everyone in it."_

"_Name," Naruto whispered causing the red head to strain his hearing._

"_What?"_

_Naruto looked up with an angry glare and spoke once more, "His name. What is his name?"_

_Nagato raised his head and put on a deathly serious façade, "His name… is Madara Uchiha."_

**(End Flashback)**

'Madara Uchiha,' The blonde repeated in his mind while breathing in the apartment scent that he started to grow accustomed to. That name was engraved into his memory and would never disappear no matter what happened. The things that man did to his cousin were almost unforgivable and would never fade away as quickly as Jiraiya's death.

**Click.**

Naruto was jolted from his thoughts as he pounced up to witness the source of the sound. His eyes widened once he gained a sight of the person he wanted to see this entire time. Konan was standing in front of the front door with a tired but mentally tired look as she gazed to the floor. She looked as if she was spending a lot of time in thought, but who could really blame her right? Naruto peered at her face and mimicked her slight frown that appeared on her features.

"Uhm… Are you alright, Konan-chan?" The blonde asked cautiously trying to get a better glimpse of her reaction. She was completely silent and didn't answer Naruto's question or curious gaze. She just stayed in the same spot and looked to the floor as if something was going on down there. Naruto noticed this and tried to ask her another question to at least release the frozen atmosphere that was placed upon the room once she stepped in, "Do you want anything to eat? I can buy you something if you don't want ramen."

Konan clenched her fists tightly while obscuring her vision in between her blue locks. There was something on the inside that was threatening to burst forth any moment, but the woman was holding it and trying to keep her grasp on it as tightly as she could, "W-Why do you call me that?"

"Huh? Call you what?" The blonde asked while scratching his head. He was confused of her question and it left him quite baffled. He didn't remember calling her anything bad so why did it feel like he was getting his head chewed off?

The blue haired Jounin only became even more irate than before. She gnashed her teeth trying to hold back the emotion as she slowly stuttered out a sentence, "Why d-do you put "Chan" a-at the end of m-my name?" _'What is this? I can't control my stuttering. What's wrong with me?' _

Naruto saw her face mixed in between sadness and fury and a tiny hint of confusion. There was something about her that made him feel uneasy, but he should try to cheer her up. Maybe making a smile will change it? He then grew a foxy grin from ear to ear and responded with clarity, "I do that to all of my friends."

'_There's that smile again. Why is he smiling? Friends?'_ Her head raised up in a furious rage, her facial features grew sharp with her eyes widening angrily as her tone turned sour, "FRIENDS? HOW ARE WE FRIENDS WHEN YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!"

"But, Konan-chan, I-"

"NO, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND **SHIT** ABOUT ME!" She pointed her index finger stiffly at him causing his eyes to widen, "YOU WEREN'T THERE WHEN MY PARENTS WERE KILLED WHEN I WAS ONLY EIGHT YEARS OLD! YOU WEREN'T THERE WHEN I WAS FORCED TO LOOK AFTER MYSELF NOT KNOWING WHEN MY NEXT MEAL WOULD BE OR WHERE I WOULD LAY MY HEAD THE NEXT NIGHT! YOU WEREN'T THERE WHEN JIRAIYA-SAMA WAS TRAINING ME AND MY FRIENDS! YOU WEREN'T THERE WHEN YAHIKO WAS KILLED! YOU WEREN'T EVEN THERE WHEN I WAS ASKING MYSELF IF THINGS WOULD GET BETTER AND THEY DIDN'T!" Naruto's frown deepened as she continued, "SO DON'T GO SAYING THAT YOU CAN RELATE TO ME WHEN YOU KNOW **NOTHING** ABOUT ME!" She then threw her hands to her head and grabbed it in denial while closing her eyes, _'I can't stop myself. What is happening to me? This pain…'_, "IT WASN'T UNTIL A WEEK AGO THAT I FIRST MET YOU, SO WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT YOU UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED WHEN YOU OBVIOUSLY **DON'T**! I'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT MORE THAN YOU CAN COMPREHEND! THE THINGS I'VE SEEN AND WITNESSED WILL NEVER LEAVE MY THOUGHTS FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE! **TRUST ME**!"

Naruto's frown sank even lower as she continued to belittle him He began to look at his feet in shame and couldn't really say anything to her outburst. What could he say? She was right about the fact that he didn't know anything about her. She lived in an entirely different country than him and he was thinking that things were similar between him and her. What was the same?

"I-I'm sorry," Naruto managed to sputter out after an eerie silence took hold of the apartment.

"You're sorry? As if your excuse can do anything," She retorted while calming down slightly, "No matter what apology you throw at me, it will never help me forget my times in utter hell."

"Then let me stop the hell from ever coming back!" Naruto shouted out loud to the woman, who widened her eyes in surprise. His face saddened a little further before he spoke again, "I realize that your life was harder than mine and I know that I can't erase the pain you've gained through the years," He softened his eyes as he let their sight fall to the floor, slowly clenching and unclenching his hands in the process, "But at least I can end it here."

'_Does he honestly think he can just get up and end it now like it will just go away forever? I can't! I just can't believe him. There's too much. It won't go away. It… hurts…' _"How can you end it if you don't even know who I am?" Konan was still running on hysterics but her voice level dropped dramatically. Her face seemed to be turning from anger to sadness.

"Then teach me who Konan-chan really is!" Naruto fumed making the Jounin freeze with a gasp caught in her throat, "Teach me the one that cries at night all alone while others are enjoying the nights spent with their families. Teach me the kunoichi that had to swallow her emotions to live. Teach me the woman that never experienced happiness her entire life and lived as a scared child unsure of what would happen tomorrow," Naruto gazed to the floor not really looking in any certain area. Although, a second later, a slight upward curve to his lips foreshadowed his continuation. He stared at her once again and spoke loudly, "Let me stop the pain from ever coming back! You won't have to worry about it any longer because I will prevent anything from getting to you ever again and that's a promise of a lifetime!" Naruto produced a thumb and pointed to himself as he laid his trademark grin upon his face, "And I'll tell you what. If you ever get this low in your life again and I can't change it, then I will just kill myself. I can guarantee that much because I **never** go back on my word!"

Konan gazed at Naruto, lost for words. Everything the blonde said was a lot to take in at once and was hitting it home to the blue haired woman. She stood there for a second and tried to string a sentence together, although it was proving to be rather difficult since she felt a lump in her throat quickly form, keeping her voice from coming out, "N-Na… Naru… to," Was all she could utter at his response to her. Her mind was running in several different directions and didn't know which way was North. Naruto just said he wouldn't let her stoop this low again. He promised her. _'He looks so determined… That smile… I… I don't. What is…? Impossible. ' _"I can't…" Her face slowly started contorting itself as if it was trying to do something and Naruto quickly took notice of her altering features. Her face looked like she almost had to sneeze, but he highly doubted that was the case, _'Trust? It… no I… Alone…' _"Na… ruto, you…" Her face contorted even more as she gnashed her teeth in frustration. She couldn't believe it. Naruto was pulling at her as if he knew which chords strike in her heart. His sincerity towards her, he used it so flawlessly. It was so warm, so bright. She couldn't explain it. Her whole being was falling apart all because of Naruto's simple words. What was causing it? Was it the way he spoke? Or maybe it was because he was the Prophetic one and had the linguistic power? She didn't really know at the moment because she couldn't focus. Her emotions were breaking through which was something that has never truly surfaced in a long time.

Her breathing turned into heaving. Her thoughts were incoherent. She'd try to speak only to have nothing but his name come out. She was in shambles.

But something was missing.

Naruto's facial features lowered into a frown again as he took in her trembling body. The Jinchuuriki stared at her, he could tell something was up, something he knew that only one thing could cure. After contemplating momentarily, He walked over slowly to her as she stood there making failed attempts at composing herself, "Konan-chan," The blonde replied getting Konan to raise her head and get a glimpse of him.

Her eyes widened exponentially once she felt the blonde ninja wrap his arms around her pulling her into him. It was one thing when he said those powerful words, but it was entirely another thing when it came to physical contact. There was only one other that could even get as far as the blonde did, but he passed away years ago. She would never let anyone else do something to her like this. Her instincts took over as she automatically retaliated his hug trying to pry the boy off of her, "L-Let go me! You bastard, get your hands off of me!" Her voice trembled while she began to punch him in the head with her hands, but that was proving to be useless as the boy held on for dear life.

"You don't have to hold it in anymore, Konan-chan, let it go," The blonde murmured to the Jounin who was still trying her best to rip herself free.

"LET ME GO! DAMN IT, I ahhh…" The blue haired woman screamed as she began to lose herself. His comforting embrace was having an enormous effect on her and no matter how badly she wanted to get away from him, she wanted to stay in his arms just as much. She craved it. She longed for it. She was hurting on the inside and pushed over the precipice. Something had to give, "NARUTOooo, Youuu ahhhhaaaaa…" Her eyes closed tightly as her punches became less and less dangerous until they were nothing but light taps to his noggin. It wasn't long before all of her strength faded from hitting the boy and changed into her strength to embrace him back as tightly as she could, "Narutooo… uuuuhuuuu! I-huuu I-huh hmmmm!" Her overflowing dam of tears finally broke forth as her emotional wall caved in. She finally began to sob uncontrollably onto him, dampening his shirt in the process, proving to be something that was long needed. Her crying spree was massive as all of that pent up stress, anger, sadness, loneliness, grief, and scared feelings poured out onto Naruto's black shirt.

"There, there, Konan-chan," Naruto whispered soothingly into her ear, shifting his left hand to the back of her head and pushing her into his chest while rubbing her hair calmly, "Everything will be okay."

Naruto carefully moved the hug onto the couch as she continued wailing onto him. As it turned out, he was absolutely right about what she needed and it was well deserved just as he imagined it to be, although he got a little roughed up in the process. Everyone needed a hug like this eventually, even if they were an enemy bent on destroying other nations, so he let her cry and cry to her heart's content. He wouldn't leave her until she was absolutely finished. Needless to say, that proved to be a while because his ramen was never taken out of the microwave for the rest of the night.

(Space Break)

**A/N: This was by far my favorite chapter to ever write. **

**Before anyone tries to point out that Konan shouldn't curse, you really have to think about it. She was devastated and emotionally confused. People do crazy things when anger takes over.**

**Also, Naruto's blurt about him killing himself was sort of an unplanned apology from him. He didn't plan it beforehand. His real apology will happen in the next chapter.**

**One more thing, I think all of you would really enjoy a story a friend of mine made. Look up The Jinchuuriki's Note by Naruto6023. It is well worth the read and a real piece of brain candy. You won't be disappointed, I promise.**

**Next Chapter: Chapter 8- Surprise!**


	8. Chapter 8: Surprise!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N: Here's a slightly shorter chapter for everyone. Enjoy.**

**Thoughts:** _'Thoughts'_

**Speaking:** "Speaking"

Chapter 8: Surprise!

Morning time crept through the dusty windows of an apartment. The light bounced from the floor and lit all of the rooms in a bright early light. The inside of the apartment was cool in temperature and the suns rays that fell in gave the flat a homely feeling. The usual cacophony of birdcalls seeped its way into the house, leaving a calm atmosphere to encase the entire building. Workers and Ninja who were busy building houses hit their hammers and sanded their floors and that sound also carried through the walls but was muffled to a light beating sound with more bass than anything. The light, through time, traveled all the way to a young woman's face as she laid there sleeping peacefully. Her blue hair was disheveled from the tossing and turning that one would normally go through while sleeping. Her flak jacket was tossed over next to the wall leaving only her black long sleeved shirt with the lone Uzumaki swirl on her left arm on her as well as her ninja pants. Her Leaf headband was left on a nightstand that stood beside the mattress and her sandals were tucked away into a corner.

"…**Konan."**

She quickly opened her eyes and shot up in the bed. Once she did, she lifted a hand to her head in an attempt to staunch the morning headache. It must have been due to all of the crying she did the night before, so she closed her eyes and rubbed them a few times to get a better view of her surroundings. Her view was bleary at first but it eventually cleared up into her normal field of vision. The sun didn't really help much because it was truly bright in her eyes. It was never this bright in Amegakure because of all of the constant rainfall, but she had to admit, it was a better feeling than waking up to storm clouds and rain. She put a hand to her face to block the brightness and walked over to the window. While closing the blinds, she slowly began to recall what happened the night before although she couldn't remember anything of the time she was angry.

A sigh escaped from her lips as she changed her pace to go the bathroom and take a shower. She turned on the water to the right temperature and took off her clothes. Once she finished undressing herself, she stepped inside. After feeling the warm water cascade down her body she continued thinking about what happened last night.

That was truly the lowest point in her life and she could vouch for that. She had never once broken down onto someone so freely like she did the night before. She never had to. But after reaching that point in her life where she had no one else who knew who Konan really was, she couldn't help it. She almost lost herself. All of her friends were gone and she also aided in killing Jiraiya, the only father figure she could really confide in since her parent's deaths. It was a real weight on her and a big sadness on her heart, but oddly enough, she didn't feel like crying about it. Maybe it was from her crying session the night before?

A slight smile formed on her mouth at Naruto's recklessness to help her. She had to give the kid respect for trying something so bold, but she couldn't deny the fact that she enjoyed it. It was calming and she relished every moment from that time. If people were to question her if she liked the boy, she would decline it. She had no real interest in love ever since her last boyfriend died and wasn't planning on having another any time soon if at all. Not only that but Naruto was way younger than her, basically a decade younger. She would be pushing pedophilia if she ever thought of a relationship with someone his age, _'What on Earth am I thinking?'_ She thought with a slight snort and a shake of her head. There was no way she could ever see that happening and even mentally laughed at the thought coming up. _'Speaking of Naruto, I wonder if he's awake. We will have to continue on his lessons today.'_

She stepped out of the shower and dried herself. She put on the clothes she had the night before, but not without mentally complaining at the lack of wardrobe, knowing that her clothes probably stink. She stepped out of the bathroom and into her room where the rest of her clothes were. Afterwards, she put on her Flak jacket and zipped it to the top. She then picked up her Leaf Hitai-ate and wrapped it around her forehead, tying it into a knot with its tails to secure it in place. After she dressed herself, she slipped on her sandals and walked out of her room. Naruto's room was across from her own so it wasn't much of a travel. She knocked on his door and awaited a response. When none came, she opened his door and took a peek inside. He could sleep as hard as a rock for all she knows, so why not check? She creaked the door open and peered inside. She then heaved a sigh and opened the door all of the way.

He wasn't there.

His room was completely empty and was also messy to boot. She Tsk'd in disapproval but silently closed his door until she heard a click. Dirty and messy things were a pet peeve for her as she was always a neat and tidy type. Now she could only guess he was in the living room waiting on her to get up. She took a few steps until she came around a corner and made her way to the living room.

"Hey, Narut-" She stopped abruptly once she stepped the corner. No one was in the living room either. A small frown appeared on her face at this new development as she stood there taking in the view. _'He must have been called for something important,' _She mused silently. After contemplating a little more on whether or not to go outside, her stomach grumbled lightly. She shook her head once she remembered she went straight home and didn't bother to grab anything to eat. She also mentally kicked herself for not eating once she got home too. Knowing that there was probably food in Naruto's kitchen she turned around in a one eighty and went to the cabinets. But what she saw when she turned around took her breath away.

She slowly walked over to the dinner table and saw an object placed on the surface. She couldn't understand how she didn't see it earlier. It was literally something that screamed attention. Its design was almost perfect. She couldn't even speak it was so beautiful. What lay in the center of the table was an orange colored Origami flower with a note beside it. She picked up the flower and looked at it in awe. She knew it had to have been from the Orange clad boy himself because for one, Naruto was the only one living there other than her and two; he would have been the only one to pick orange out of all of the colors in the color wheel. He **was** the only ninja that wore orange all of the time. She placed the flower back down on the table and picked up the note in its place. She began to read the contents going over everything as slowly as she could.

_Dear Konan-chan,_

_I hope you like it. You lost your old flower so I thought I would make you a new one. I know it's not much and seems like a sad attempt to apologize for my short-minded thinking, but I hope that you can forgive me for what I've done. _

_I'm sorry._

_NARUTO_

A small upward curve graced her lips as she read the note once more. His apology was so childish, bearing something handmade and a note that lay beside it. But something about the apology made her happy on the inside. Naruto actually took the time to make an Origami flower, which is something that is not relatively easy and judging from the way Naruto is, he didn't know a thing about Origami. That can only mean he spent quality time on it. Konan was an origami master, so she could easily make another flower if she wanted to. But after her fight with Tobi, she lost the motivation to even make another one for herself, so she was really awed at the fact that he even remembered, let alone bothered to make one for her. After concentrating on what she wanted to do, she snorted to herself in defeat and gave a pitiful smile of acceptance to the flower. She wrapped the right side of her hair into a bun, picked up the flower, and placed the orange piece into the bun to keep it in place.

Content with another flower in her hair after a week and two days without having one, she moved herself around the table to the cabinets and tried to find something to eat. Lucky enough for her, there were canned and packaged foods that lined Naruto's cabinets from one end to the other to where she didn't have to rely on eating nothing but ramen. She fixed herself a plate of proportionate foods from different cans and whatever else she found that she wanted to eat and dug in. Once she finished, she washed her plate and put it back into the cabinet she found it in and sat on the couch to wait patiently. If Naruto was out doing something important, then it really didn't matter if she went out or not because her appearance wouldn't really change anything.

"He reminds me so much of Yahiko," Konan whispered quietly. Thinking of Naruto's linear thought processes let the woman reminisce with a nostalgic feeling. It was almost as if she were still there during the times she was younger. Back when they were kids, the orange haired kid went off on his own a lot without telling them and usually left Nagato and her worried. He would always come back and have some over thought apology which really held no water and he would get chewed out by both of them. But in the end, they forgave him and it only made their relationship grow for one another. Eventually, all of those times are what brought her and Yahiko's relationship to the next level. His carelessness for battle damage and going out there not worried of the repercussions really stuck with her. He was reckless but devoted to his country and protecting his friends. A true hero.

"Hey, Konan-chan, I'm back!"

The blonde's voice broke her out of her train of thought. She sat up as a small smile etched onto her face. Believe it or not, she wanted to see the blonde brat even though he totally invaded her space the night before. But when she looked onto him, something that she would have never expected was revealed to her. Her eyes widened as far as they could go. It was almost Earth shattering upon seeing something like this. It was almost inconceivable. She fell backwards onto the couch and laid there, trying to say something but the shock really set itself in.

"What?" Naruto blatantly asked shifting closer to the blue haired woman. He didn't like it when people did things like this but never actually said anything, "What is it? Come on, tell me!"

**(Space Break)**

"Orange?"

Yamato looked over to Kakashi with a confused expression who looked back at him just as confounded as he was. As soon as the blonde found out his predicament, He rushed over to Kakashi's and Yamato's tent to figure out his problem. The blue haired woman trailed behind the Jinchuuriki wanting to know about it just as much as Naruto did, So, Konan, Kakashi, and Yamato were all in the same tent looking at the Uzumaki with puzzled reactions.

The brown haired ANBU has never seen anything like this before, so he had to ask, "Naruto, How did you get orange hair?"

"I don't know!" The "Orange" haired boy replied in concern, "Konan-chan was the one who pointed it out to me! I just learned about it a few minutes ago!"

The Uzumaki was hurt at knowing that his hair changed from the blonde that he loved, to a carrot orange color that he never really wanted. Blonde was his pride. He was basically the only blonde headed boy in the entire leaf village so it made him happy that he wasn't like the others. He didn't feel monotonous with his yellow hair. Even though orange was uncommon in the Leaf village, blonde was more awesome in his opinion.

"Well, can you tell us exactly what happened the last few days?" Kakashi asked the blonde, now orange, headed boy.

Naruto thought for a minute before he brought up anything, "Well, All I've been doing recently is training on my Rinnegan powers. I haven't really done anything else."

Yamato looked over to Kakashi again before going into a thinking phase, placing his hand to his chin, "This only further solidifies our conclusions from the other day."

"I have to agree completely with you," The silver haired Jounin responded with a nod, "That is exactly what it is."

"Wait! Can someone fill me in? I'm kinda lost," The Orange haired boy asked curiously but with annoyance.

Yamato stopped his thought processes and looked at the boy with a somewhat serious look on his face, "Remember when we checked on you the other day for any abnormal behavior regarding the Rinnegan?" After he received a head shake in approval, he continued, "Well, Kakashi and I talked about how the Uzumaki carried the Rinnegan as a Kekkei Genkai and, well, your hair change must have something to do with your awakening of the Rinnegan."

"That is if we are correct," Kakashi intervened gaining the interest of the wood user, "If Yamato is thinking the same thing as myself, then your Rinnegan has awakened your Uzumaki side of your genetics and placed equal dominance amongst your blonde side."

"The Uzumaki were known for their red hair," Yamato answered continuing Kakashi's statement, "We know it sounds a little too simple, but in other words, your Uzumaki red hair genes dominated with your blonde genes equally, making your hair… Orange."

Naruto gazed into space after he heard that. He was a little sad knowing that his trademark blonde hair was replaced with a medium orange color, but after thinking a little longer, he realized it was something small and an aftereffect of the Rinnegan. He couldn't always have the best of both worlds, so he swallowed his pride and gave a smile, "Well, I guess I can't complain," He then put his hands in his pockets, "That only means my mom's side is finally coming in."

"Hold on," Kakashi said, cutting Naruto off before he could say anymore, "What makes you think that it's your mother's hair?"

"Oh," Naruto responded growing a huge foxy grin from ear to ear, "I met the Fourth Hokage."

All three of the other participants in the room widened there eyes in surprise. No one really suspected that answer to come forth. Yamato and Kakashi knew what happened to Minato and Konan had a basic idea as to what really happened. After a second, Naruto continued, "He's the one who stopped me from becoming the nine-tailed beast."

"But, isn't the Fourth Hokage dead?" Konan blurted out looking very confused to the others in the room.

"Well, not much is known about the Shiki Fujin technique," Kakashi responded while gazing over to the blue haired woman, "I'm guessing he must have put some of the last of his energy into Naruto before he died."

"He told me," Naruto began while staring intensely onto Kakashi, "That the guy in the mask from Akatsuki was the man behind the fox attack 16 years ago. He said that he was so strong that not even he could do anything to stop him."

Kakashi and Yamato immediately remembered the swirling masked man that they fought during their hunt for Sasuke.

"He's right, Kakashi-san," Konan told the silver haired man, "That man is the true leader of Akatsuki. He has worked in the shadows and bided his time until the time came for him to carry forth his plans."

"He **used **Nagato. It is all just some game to him. But if he used Pain, then he is most likely using Sasuke too!" The boy retorted with venom flowing from his syllables.

"It just as Jiraiya feared," The silver haired man answered with a grim look to his features, "That's who was behind the attack sixteen years ago. Madara Uchiha…"

Naruto's eyes widened in realization, "That's who Pain told me to watch for! Who is he exactly?"

"Madara Uchiha was the former leader of the Uchiha clan who was supposedly defeated by the first Hokage. He is the only one with enough hate for our village to do something like this," Kakashi looked over to Yamato, "We're going to have to tell the elders."

Yamato nodded his head in agreement, "What bad timing too since what happened to Tsunade-sama this morning."

Everything went silent for the orange haired boy as he replayed that last message, "What? What happened to Baa-chan?"

"No one told you?" The Captain asked the orange clad boy. When he received a headshake in rejection, he looked over to Kakashi who looked onto him with a look of pity, then turned his head again to face Naruto and responded, "She had a relapse."

"What?" Naruto asked in a voice that held denial, "What do you mean? Baa-chan was doing fine. What happened?"

Yamato knew the boy held some dear feelings for the Hokage, so he knew that Naruto wouldn't have automatically accepted that fact that was laid on the table, "It seems as though she hasn't fully recovered from her fight with Pain," Kakashi looked over to the Orange haired boy while Yamato continued, "We only received the news recently, but from what we've heard, she didn't wake up this morning. That only means that she has fallen into another coma."

Naruto lowered his gaze, "Well, can I see her?"

"Sure," Kakashi replied with an eye smile, "I don't see why not. You don't have anything else to do right now and we don't need you for anything else."

"Alright then!" Naruto yelled in excitement, "I'm off to see Baa-chan! Later!"

He then dashed out of the tent with pep in his step. Konan looked over to the Jinchuuriki's exit and contemplated, _'He seems to be troubled,' _The blue haired woman noticed that Naruto tried to cheer himself up. He was sad one minute, but all of a sudden changed it into a grin and brushed it off as though it was nothing to worry about. If this were a couple of days ago, Konan wouldn't have noticed that, but now it's as if she all of a sudden gained an extra sense, _'Maybe I should follow him.'_

Konan turned and went for the front flaps of the tent when an audible voice stopped her, "Hold on, We have to talk to you for a minute."

She turned around and saw the silver haired man signaling for her to come back. Konan, while holding a flap in her grasp, looked outside again and saw the orange ninja running further away. She looked outward until he disappeared from view and inwardly sighed before letting go of the flap and turning back to Kakashi.

(Space Break)

**A/N- I know it's not much, but it is the least I could do before I leave from my internet source. After this I won't be able to upload for a week or two.**

**People might not like the idea that Naruto has Orange hair… I do. What's your opinion?**

**Chapter 9- Guard and Déjà vu.**


	9. Chapter 9:Guard and Deja Vu Pt 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N- Thanks for the reviews. There are 131 reviews so far and both, Story Alerts and Favorite Story submissions have reached 250. Really guys, Thanks for contributing. The Reviews really help me with what the audience is thinking. (Although after the first three days a chapter is released, the amount of reviews remain static for days and days.)**

**Two things I wanted to point out before I begin with a couple of review answers. The first thing, is that I'm following the manga, not the Anime, but I imagine it as the Anime playing in my head and I use some elements from the Anime, but I strictly follow the manga.(Just for anyone who's curious.) The second thing is, Who said Naruto and Konan were going to have an easy relationship? I surely didn't. Isn't asking for what you want and actually getting it kind of boring? I plan on writing this story the correct way. Aaaall the way to the end of the Fourth Shinobi War.**

**Answers:**

**Sridharan- Glad to hear from you again! :D I thought you forgot about my story. To reply about the action… well, it might be coming sooner than you think. I already have everything planned so don't worry. Action is actually half of the story. The other half? Give a guess. ;)**

**Jsawyer- Symbolism.**

**Grimangel- She's 32 years old. I had a previous Author's note that said she was 26. Well, I changed it to 32 for a good reason. ****J**

**Thoughts: **_'Thoughts'_

**Speaking: **"Speaking"

Chapter 9: Guard and Déjà vu

Naruto blazed through the village while his mind was currently fixated on Tsunade. He couldn't believe that she went unconscious again. She was doing perfectly fine the last few days, so why did she all of a sudden slip into a coma? It didn't make any sense to him. He remembered her being seemingly normal for a while now and taking things as if nothing was bothering her at all.

"H-Hey, Naruto!"

The orange haired boy screeched to a stop as he gained an earful of a familiar female's voice. His head darted around his shoulder and his gaze took in the appearance of his pink haired team mate.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," The orange haired boy let out as he flicked his hand in a greeting.

Sakura came closer to the orange clad ninja and gradually changed her face into confusion, "Naruto, your hair."

"I know, isn't it strange?" The Jinchuuriki let out a snort and folded his arms, "It has to do with my Kekkei Genkai."

Sakura looked at him again before shaking her head as if it was unimportant, "I guess you heard about Tsunade-sama, then."

Naruto lowered his head and dropped his arms to his sides, "Yeah, I wanted to see her again after I found out."

The pink haired girl gave a genuine smile and placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder, causing him to look up a little unexpectedly, "Come on. Let's go together."

"O-Okay, Sakura-chan."

(Space break)

"She was like this when we found her this morning," The Pink haired medic-nin responded quietly while gazing at an unconscious figure laying in a Futon, "We don't know what happened but we all agree that she has fallen into another coma," The girl then kneeled beside the futon, "None of us even know if she'll ever wake up again."

Naruto gave a pathetic stare to the unconscious woman laying in the bed and mumbled softly to himself, "Tsunade…"

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun," Shizune responded with a smile and comforting gesture, "I'm sure she will pull through this just like last time. She is a very strong woman and won't be put out by something so easily."

The orange haired boy looked to Tsunade's assistant and lightly smiled. He knew Tsunade wouldn't lose to something like this. She was the Hokage and a very independent person. She has a very strong will to continue living so he was sure that she would pull through this, maybe, "Thanks, Shizune-neechan."

"Sure!" The black haired assistant replied happily.

Once that happened, a click occurred in Naruto's brain as he remembered something, "Hey, Shizune-Neechan?"

"Hmm?" The black haired woman grunted.

"Do you have any of those Chakra rods from any of the bodies of Pain?"

He received a nod in approval, "Why, Yes I do Naruto-kun. Is there a reason?"

"Actually," He began while lighting up a little, "I wanted to use them so I can make something, a type of weapon. I only need one of them."

"Uh, sure, Naruto-kun, I'll send you one later whenever I get done checking up on Tsunade-sama."

That answer earned a happy glare from Naruto and a slight inside giggle, although she didn't know why.

Right after he giggled, Shizune spoke, "Uhm, I'm sorry if this seems rude but I can't help it because I have to know," Once the boy signaled her to continue, she asked, "What did you do to your hair Naruto-kun?"

The Jinchuuriki sort of laughed at her question causing the woman to look at him with perplexity, "Everybody's been asking me that same question," He then shoved his hands in his pockets, "It's because of my Kekkei Genkai. It just happened today, so I don't know if it's permanent or not."

"Well…" Shizune started, "I guess it matches your outfit and it doesn't look too bad so I guess it's okay."

"I think Naruto should change his clothes," Sakura stated bluntly causing a shocked reaction from the Jinchuuriki, "Now he is too orange for anyone to look at. Plus, I don't believe anyone is going to take him seriously with all of that bright color."

"Sakura-chan, what do you mean?" Naruto shouted at his team mate, "If I change to another color, then people won't be able to recognize me."

"Do you **want **the dangerous ninja to notice you?"

After a moment or two, he spoke up, "Maybe you're right."

"Finally!" Sakura replied as if this was an ongoing battle, which it was. She asked him over and over again since they first became team mates to change into something more ninja suited, but he always gave her a disapproving headshake and an onslaught of reasons why he liked his outfit. It was as if this was a life or death question to decide to change his clothes, but it wasn't really that big of a deal. She actually had this same argument with the Uzumaki numerous times and it all ended up the same way, except for now.

"I'd have to agree, Naruto-kun," Shizune spoke up trying to voice her opinion, "Although, you might like the color and design, it is also very irresponsible as a ninja because-"

"I know, I know," Naruto replied while waving his hand, "Just let me think about it."

He then walked out of the room slowly, leaving Shizune and Sakura alone with Tsunade. Both of the women stared at each other confusedly. It wasn't long until the black haired medic-nin spoke up, "Naruto-kun is acting strange."

"I know," Sakura stated with a barely audible voice, "He's been like this ever since he defeated Pain."

Tsunade's assistant pondered on the situation a little further before Sakura broke the silence, "I guess I'm going to check on Naruto. I'm starting to become a little concerned for him."

"Alright, Sakura. Take care."

"I will," She replied quickly as she waved her hand darted out of the room.

(Space Break)

'_Change my clothes?' _The Uzumaki thought quietly, _'I know it's irresponsible but…' _He pulled on his orange and black jacket and flowed his eyesight through the texture and colors, _'It's one of the only things I have left to remember Ero-Sennin.'_

The boy trudged through the street while he continued gazing at his jacket lost in thought. Jiraiya was a very important person to Naruto. Even though the perverted hermit was his godfather, he really acted as if he was his real grandfather instead. The blonde knucklehead really grew on him through the years and Jiraiya really grew on Naruto. The outfit was a gift from the Toad Sage during their three year training trip. It was something that the blonde truly treasured because it was something that was actually given to him from someone important. The relationship ended rather dramatically after the elder sage's death by the hands of Nagato. It was almost making him cry again at the loss, but he couldn't cry about that. No, Not now. He already cried before, when he was alone and sure no one was around him. He had to keep strong in front of everyone else who believed in him.

'_Nagato was just like Sasuke,' _The Jinchuuriki resounded through his mind trying to change his thought path, _'Both of their parents were killed. They both wanted to exact revenge for the same reason.'_

BUMP!

Naruto shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times as he tried to figure out where he was. He fell flat on his butt after he hit an unknown object. When he looked up, he gained a view of an older man's back.

"Sorry, sir," The Uzumaki responded with honesty in his voice, "I didn't see where I was- Tazuna-san?"

The orange haired boy saw the man turn around and gained a sight of the man's face. The man looked at him for a moment before he spoke, "Those whisker marks, Naruto… Is that really you?"

Naruto gave a bright grin, "Yes sir! It's really me."

"Naruto my boy! Why you've grown a lot since we last met. You even changed from blonde to orange hair! Did ya dye it or something?"

The Uzumaki gave a sweat drop expression, "Well, it's a long story."

The bridge builder let out a hearty laugh while the Jinchuuriki chuckled nervously.

"Tazuna-san?"

Both Naruto and the elder man turned their views to a pink haired girl running up to them.

"Oh hey! Sakura, isn't it? My how much you've grown!"

"It really **is **you. How's Tsunami-san and Inari-san?" The medic-nin asked with a smile.

Tazuna let out another brief laugh, "They're both doing fine. Actually Inari is helping me rebuild your village as we speak."

"Oh, That's awesome! Where is he?" Naruto asked as he gave a salute to shield his eyes from the bright sun rays, "I want to meet him again."

"I'll go get him. Give me just a minute," And with that, the older man departed in search for his grandson.

A moment passed while Sakura looked on to her team mate. She knew that something was wrong with him, but she didn't exactly know what. He hasn't been too forthcoming with his answers lately and it has really been bothering her. He's actually been exponentially quiet compared to his original personality before the fight against Pain. She didn't really understand what was going on inside Naruto's mind, but she knew that it had to be something that was really troubling him.

"Uhm. Naruto?"

The boy sat there lost in thought for the umpteenth time before the call finally registered in his mind, "Hmm? What is it, Sakura-chan?"

The pink haired girl sighed once before she began, "I've been watching you ever since you came back to Konoha from that fight with Pain and I can't really hold it in any longer."

That statement really got Naruto hooked on what she was about to say, "Well, what is it?"

"Naruto," She started, "I've known for a while now that there is something going on with you, but the problem is that I don't really know what **is** wrong with you. Even yesterday while we talked about Konan, I thought she was the problem, but I now realize that it's something else that you're not telling me. I've noticed that you've become very quiet and you don't like talking as much as you normally would. Is there something on your mind or something that you would like to talk to me about?"

The Jinchuuriki looked at her a little funny because, normally, she doesn't offer a chance for him to vent. But, nonetheless, she is a best friend to him so it's not like it is not supposed to happen, but usually it's the other way around. Truth be told though, Naruto doesn't really have a reason why he is acting this way. He never really thought about it until now because he's always thinking of ways to make Konan happier around Konoha, but thinking like that really doesn't really get him down too much.

"Nah. I'm fine Sakura-chan. There's no need to worry about me," He then threw a cheeky grin in her direction making the medic-nin feel a little weight on her heart.

"Are you sure, Naruto?"

"I'm positive!" The orange clad boy replied cheekily while giving her a thumbs up.

Sakura felt like he was still lying to himself, but she held her tongue because the medic-nin knew that she would never get anything out of the boy anytime soon.

"Hey, Naruto!" A voice yelled out in the distance.

The Jinchuuriki snapped his head to the source of the sound and saw a boy running up to Sakura and him. He looked like he was a preteen with black spiky hair that was slightly more tame than Naruto's. The boy was wearing a black sleeveless v-neck shirt with pale colored cargo pants and wearing black sandals.

"Inari?" The orange clad boy asked with uncertainty as if he couldn't believe it.

"Yep," The young boy responded as he slowed to a stop in front of both the ninja, "That's me!"

"Wow, Inari. You've gotten a lot bigger from when I last saw you," The Jinchuuriki laughed with a cheeky grin.

"You have too, Naruto, but I don't remember you having orange hair. I thought you were blonde?"

The accused smirked at his friends question, "I was, but I thought… I should try something different."

Sakura eyes laid onto Naruto's face once he said that, _'I guess it's best to keep our mouths shut about what happened?' _

After talking for what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes, both parties departed from each other and Naruto began walking towards Kakashi and Yamato's tent with Sakura walking beside him along a forest path.

"So, Zabuza's sword, Kubikiri Houcho, was stolen from his grave?" The pink haired girl asked Naruto for reassurance.

The orange haired ninja sighed once as he walked, while keeping his eyesight forward, "Yeah, I can't believe it."

"I wonder who would steal it?"

Naruto thought about it, but no one really came to mind, "I don't know. It could be anybody."

"Naruto! Sakura! Wait up!"

Both turned their heads and saw a teenager with brown hair, red fang shaped tattoo's on his cheeks, and dark clothes, riding a giant white dog over to them rather quickly. He seemed as if he was about to die if he didn't get to the both of them fast enough.

"What?" They both replied in unison, "What is it?"

"Look," The brown haired Inuzuka replied hurriedly, "Just listen! Tsunade has been dismissed as Hokage!"

That reply shocked both of the ninja. Both of their eyes widened dramatically.

"What do you mean, Kiba?" The Uzumaki asked concerned for obvious reasons, but the shock was evident in his voice

"Tsunade's not the Hokage anymore because of her relapse!" The Inuzuka yelled quickly, "She's now been replaced by some guy named Danzo! I don't know who he is, but he seems really shady!"

"Danzo?" Both members of Team Seven yelled angrily. They knew exactly who Danzo was. He has always been one of the people that both of the ninja didn't like. He was very mean and full of dark secrets that no one really knew about. But now that he has taken the position of Hokage, he could really do anything that he wanted to do now.

"That isn't all though," Kiba responded so he could continue, "He's also given permission to eliminate Sasuke as a missing-nin!"

Naruto faced contorted in an even angrier face than before, "W-What the hell do you mean?"

"I'm not really sure I know myself, but I think since Sasuke has been a missing-nin for a while, that Danzo guy is now trying to finally do something about it."

The orange clad ninja grew a vein on his temple. It seemed almost as if he was about to break. Countless thoughts were running through his mind and he really wanted to speak them a lot more freely. He was a ticking time bomb. What could he say? It just takes a small amount of air through his lungs and a violent release to ease the tension in his mind and do something about that small stress that keeps nagging him in the back of his mind. His best friend being the enemy of Konoha did that to him. He opened his mouth as he was about to speak, "I-"

"I'm going to see Danzo!" Sakura grumbled while staring at Naruto. She looked him directly in the eye and wasn't leaving any room for rejection because she knew the orange clad ninja would say the same thing. Usually when it involved Sasuke, that is what occurred. Both of them were the only ones that knew more than the "Missing-nin" side of him, so they often thought with identical ideas. Sakura did a 180 and took a turn back to Konoha. That was when Naruto grabbed her arm.

"Sakura, I don't think we should see Danzo," The Jinchuuriki stated looking to his friend. His face was showing mixed feelings, but they also kept that depressed afterglow that seemed to emanate from his body. That same afterglow that he seemed to show all of the time ever since he defeated Pain.

"Naruto, We can't just let him get away with this. You know that guy is very dangerous and you can already see what he is doing. We can't-"

"Sakura," The orange clad ninja responded with a spaced out tone, "I don't think it's a good idea to see Danzo, at least, not yet," He took his grip off of her and looked into the forest, "I think we should find out more about him before we try anything. We know Sai worked with him, so maybe he can tell us more?"

Sakura clearly took notice of this strange change that Naruto made. He didn't pitch a fit or storm off to go see Danzo himself. He actually kept a level head and thought of a way around Danzo without actually meeting him, "Naruto, what are you talking about?" She was clearly distressed because her team mate wasn't backing her up, "We have to see Danzo! He's allowing anybody to go after Sasuke and kill him!"

The orange clad ninja pondered on her statements but quickly made a rebuttal, "Just trust me, Sakura-chan. If we can't get the information from Sai, then we will see him personally," Naruto clenched his fists and grit his teeth, but still held the same tone, "Believe me, I want to run over there and ask him what the hell he is thinking, but… something tells me that we should wait."

The pink haired girl looked at her longtime best friend with an exasperated sigh before shaking her head. She couldn't believe it, but she also agreed that maybe they should bide their time a little longer and learn more about him before doing anything rash, "Fine."

(Space Break)

Konan let go of the flap and retreated back into the tent. The silver haired Jounin called her earlier after Naruto dashed off into the distance in search of the Godaime. The blue haired woman walked over to both of the other ninja occupying the tent and gave them a look of unamusement, but there was something about her face that wasn't as… uninterested as it could have been yesterday.

"Now that all of that is settled," Kakashi began while looking over to the woman's figure, "We would like to know everything you know about Madara Uchiha."

She mentally sighed because the woman knew that this would be the first thing they would bring up. Since she blabbed about knowing who he was, the Konoha ninja didn't leave it unnoticed and brought it up the moment they had a chance. Honestly, she didn't feel like talking about it because that man was the main reason why everything bad happened to her friends and why she was almost brought to an end. He left a bad taste in her mouth if any of the earlier reasons didn't do justice.

"You have been a part of Akatsuki ever since it was first founded," Kakashi started while Yamato watched in silence, "And we know that you have to have some kind of information on the man behind all of this."

Konan wandered her eyes over both of the men and pondered momentarily. Both men were losing patience after the first few moments she didn't make a sound. But when they started to say something, the woman spoke, "That man, Madara Uchiha, was the one that started it all."

Both men gazed onto the woman with eyes that almost glowed with attentiveness and further held their tongues so she could continue, "During my fight with Madara, he told me that he was the one that made Yahiko form Akatsuki. He also told me that he was the one that gave Nagato the Rinnegan."

That response earned a bright shock evident on both of their faces. That didn't make any sense at all. How could Madara give Nagato the Rinnegan?

"But I don't believe what that foul man told me," Konan came back, "Nagato told me himself that he awakened his Rinnegan at an early age, which makes me disbelieve what Madara declared so recently."

Kakashi looked over to Yamato who seemed to have the same curious expression, but stayed silent for the woman.

The paper user sighed as she looked to the ground, "The first time I met him, I was automatically suspicious of him, although Nagato seemed to be more knowing than I was. Madara secretly made himself a part of the group while Nagato took over as leader. He knew Yahiko wouldn't do something so evil as to try the Uchiha's plan, so he waited until the time was right. After Yahiko died, Nagato became mentally unstable at the loss of our friend… and was truly susceptible to manipulation," She felt like falling. She realized that Madara used all of them just like puppets. Even **she** played a role in Nagato's manipulation just by following with whatever her Uzumaki friend believed in. Even though she said all of those things about how Nagato was following his own beliefs during her fight with Tobi, she was now beginning to think that they all indeed played right into the Uchiha's hands. Her fists clenched tightly but she still held her desired monotone, "He came a month or so after Nagato became the leader of Akatsuki. He didn't join our group that day, but he did say he would keep an eye on us. After that day though, I noticed Nagato seemed to be more distant. As the months flew by, Nagato began putting his own plan of peace into motion: Gain all of the Bijuu, Make an ultimate weapon that would make everyone too scared to fight and unleash it to the world, After the destruction with countless lives lost, people would begin to fear, but understand not to fight anymore. A peace based on fear."

"So that was Nagato's plan," Kakashi responded with a serious façade while narrowing his eye, "That would have been truly catastrophic."

"It **was** his plan. But the longer I think about it, the more I begin to feel that Madara maybe had something to do with that. Either way, it wasn't long until after he joined the group. He put on a new front so none of the other Akatsuki members would know who he was. The only ones who really knew were myself and Nagato. None of the other Akatsuki ever realized that the buffoon of the group was indeed the leader, except for Zetsu, although I only found out about him knowing just recently."

Kakashi and Yamato nodded silently as she continued her story of Madara.

**(Flashback)**

"_Konan, Have you done what I ordered?" A red haired man with pale skin, shoulder length red hair, and purple ripple pattern eyes, asked the other person in the room. His voice was a little raspy, but normal nonetheless. His body was inside of a four legged mechanical vehicle with his back protruding black rod shapes and his demeanor was pretty passive as well as aggressive. They were in a room on the very top of a building in Amegakure that held a lot of space for what was needed._

"_Yes, Nagato, I have done what you have asked of me, flawlessly."_

"_Good," The man responded calmly as he looked on to a body that was lying on the ground, "You have done well."_

_He looked onto the body silently while mulling over thoughts inside of his head. He just received a corpse that held the requirements needed for his sub-plan. His full fledged scheme was slowly falling into place. _

"_What about the others?" He asked, still glaring at the body laying on the floor. His glare held no emotion, but somehow there was something there that could have been a bit of melancholy._

_Konan gazed at the man with a similar glare, "Other Akatsuki members are handling those as we speak."_

"_Perfect, It won't be long now, Konan," He said while turning his eyesight to the rain that pelted the window of the room, "Everything is coming together nicely. If my plan works as I think it should, then our group will be unstoppable and I will finally be able to live up to Yahiko's dream. To become a god…"_

_The paper angel held no statement for Nagato while he talked. She was truly worried for her friend, but only secretly because she knew that his anger was getting the best of him._

"_Konan, place the body on the table. I have to run the test," The red haired man told the other occupant in the room. _

_She nodded and picked up the body with her paper technique. With a graceful swing of her hand, she lifted the body and placed it very delicately on a surface that was similar to an operation table. After the body was deposited on the surface, the two Akatsuki members could get a better view of what the person looked like. It was a man. His face and body was quiet. The figure didn't move, which can only mean he was dead. His hair was spiky and a deep carrot orange that truly stood out. His body and limbs were punctured with multiple black rods and even had smaller piercings that were placed on his lips, ears and his nose. _

"_Let's begin."_

_And with that, the red headed man got to work by pushing his chakra from the rods on his back and into the other body that was laying on the table. The man closed his eyes and began pushing more chakra into the other body. A minute or so passed until everything became silent. _

_Konan, feeling unsure of her best friend, called out his name, "Nagato? Was it successful?"_

"_Yes, Konan, it was," The man on the table replied with a strong voice, "And it also has an advantage."_

_Konan widened her eyes slightly from the man's sudden voice. The body on the table sat upwards and slowly opened his eyes. The eyes were the same as Nagato's. The orange haired corpse unveiled light purple eyes with a ripple pattern on them displaying four or five ringlets encasing the pupil._

_The man flexed his muscles and was slowly clenching and unclenching his hands as if trying to get the feel of the body, "It seems my hypothesis was proven correct. These eyes have become Rinnegan."_

"_How is that possible, Nagato?" The blue haired woman responded with curiosity._

"_Because I have fully exposed this body to my chakra. The Rinnegan is infused with my chakra, so the corpse has to compensate for the lack of my ocular ability. This body… it created it's own temporary Rinnegan. Interesting."_

_The orange haired corpse slowly rotated his body to make his legs flop off of the table. Silence encased the room as he adjusted himself to the newfound strength. Without moving too much, he carefully pushed himself to get his feet to touch the floor. His left foot, then his right foot, until he was semi-crouching on the floor. He was shaking vigorously, but trying his hardest to adapt in his newfound body which was proving to be rather difficult at the moment. _

"_I also can't feel anything. This body… feels numb. Which can only mean… the nerve endings… are gone," The corpse responded tiredly in between gasps for air._

"_Do you need help, Nagato?" The female Akatsuki asked the corpse in the room who shook his head in rejection._

"_It's alright, Konan. I can handle it."_

_With more strength, meaning chakra, pushed into the body, the corpse was becoming increasingly stronger and eventually reached the very top of his height. His breathing became less and less strenuous as he stood there. Eventually, he looked semi normal while he checked his body for any distress, but luckily for him, the corpse's body was doing as it should. _

_Seeing Yahiko's body standing there left Konan feeling a little sad for good reason and her face frowned slightly at the corpse's appearance._

"_Don't feel sad, Konan," Nagato responded to her with a hint of sympathy, knowing what she was thinking about, "Now Yahiko can become a god like he originally wanted to be. He's finally living his dream… and we are living it with him."_

_The kunoichi still held a frown, but only temporarily as she heard someone snicker. They both averted their sight to a man behind them. He was wearing a dark robe that covered pretty much everything except for his face, but that was not needed because he wore an orange swirling mask that had one hole for his right eye to see through. _

"_You seem to be adjusting very well to your new body. I assume you are working on others?"_

_Nagato narrowed his eyes only slightly as he heard that, "That is none of your business."_

_The man only chuckled at his response and held both of his hands up, "Don't worry. I'm not trying to do anything to you. I only came here to merely… talk."_

_Nagato, in Yahiko's corpse, further narrowed his eyes at the man as he stood there. This man has visited him before, so there was no reason for immediate retaliation. But even though this man visited Nagato previously, There was something about him that he didn't like, "Of what?"_

"_Well," The masked man started, "I am impressed that you have used the Rinnegan so well. Even I wouldn't have thought of something like that. But putting that aside, I thought I could make a request."_

"_We don't take requests from outsiders," The blue haired woman responded coldly, "If you have nothing better to say, then leave."_

"_Actually, I think it would interest the both of you," The cloaked figure answered as if he knew he was right, "Now, I know that __**you**__, Nagato, have an unsettled hatred with the Leaf village as much as I do," The man's body was holding no gestures for any signs of betrayal while Nagato inwardly flinched at the use of that village's name so freely, "In exchange for my services, I only wish to help you gain the power necessary for your plan to work. See? You have nothing to lose and you gain another formidable Akatsuki member."_

_Nagato contemplated about it, although he wasn't very trusting with this other person in the room. His plan would need as much help as it can get. But still… There was something about this man that seemed a little off, "How can we trust you? We don't even know who you are and yet you show up just to say that you want to be an Akatsuki."_

"_Oh, How silly of me," The masked figure chuckled as he put his hands on his mask, "I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?" The man tugged on his mask to release it from his face. When he did, he pulled the mask above his head and revealed his face with flaring Sharingan in both eyes, "My name is Madara Uchiha. I was a former ninja of Konohagakure, but am no longer. I despise that place."_

"_Madara Uchiha…" Nagato silently replied to himself. He has heard plenty of stories about this man and what he has done, but there was one problem, "If my memory serves me correctly, Madara Uchiha should be long dead, but here he stands before me. How can he be alive when that generation has deceased long ago?"_

"_Heh heh heh. Then you obviously do not know what I have done," Madara told the orange haired corpse with a dark chuckle, "You are highly underestimating the power of the Uchiha. Typical…" The black haired man then put his mask back on and quickly threw the robe's hoodie over his head._

"_Just because you showed me who you were, that doesn't mean that I will trust you," Nagato retorted with a scowl. Konan didn't say anything but she seemed to be along the same train of thought as the orange haired corpse._

"_Well then, I believe I should prove my loyalty to you. Just let me join and I can help end those pathetic people's lives in Konoha as retribution for both of your parent's murder."_

"_How do you know about that?" Nagato replied with haste and anger. The only people to have ever known about his childhood were Yahiko, Konan, Jiraiya, and Nagato himself. He never told a soul about his life as a child. Not even the Akatsuki members knew about it._

_The hooded man held a silent stare but replied, "I have my ways."_

"_You __**will**__ tell me!" The orange haired man retorted while trying to charge at the man while in Yahiko's corpse, "Or I'll- Ngh!" He lost his footing strength a quarter of the way there and kneeled to the ground, panting in pain._

"_Nagato!" The blue haired woman ran up to her team mate to see if he was fine, but he bumped her off of him with his elbow._

"_I'm fine, Konan!" He panted while staring angrily at the man._

"_You're in no shape to fight me right now and I would strongly advise against it," Madara replied while turning to head out of the door, "Either way, I'll give you some time to think about it. If I were you though, I'd take the offer while it's on the table. It's not everyday someone like me offers help for free," he turned his head one final time and flared his Sharingan through his eyehole in the mask, "I'll be waiting."_

_And with that, he disappeared down the hall with his footsteps reverberating from the walls until the only thing that could be heard was the slow panting of Yahiko's corpse._

_After they were sure Madara was gone, Konan tried to help her friend up, but was refused as he shook her hand off of his arm, "Don't worry. I know you're worried about me but I'm fine."_

_She only looked in his direction in a concerned manner, "Are you going to let him join us?"_

"_I don't know," Nagato replied solemnly, "If he can truly aid me, then I will have no choice but allow him into Akatsuki. Every person is vital."_

"_But you can't possibly trust that man, can you Nagato?"_

"_No, I don't, But the organization has to move forward and that means the leader has to make hasty decisions," Another moment passed before Nagato said anything, "Since I will be using this body, I have to use another name. A new name that people will fear when they hear it," Nagato replied while walking over to a table that held a folded fabric on the top. It was as if he didn't want to talk about Madara. After unfolding it, he began to put his arms into it and let the rest make it's way to the floor. It was a black cloak with recently stitched red and white clouds, "These clouds on our new cloaks will symbolize all of the bloodshed during the wars in Amegakure. Our group will bring true peace and no one will dare to surpass us for we are Akatsuki," He then put on a Rain Hitai-ate that had a horizontal slash through the middle of the metal plate and tied it into a knot, "Pain… is the source of every war, every hatred, and every vengeance. That will be my new name… Pain."_

**(End Flashback)**

"Sai! We were just looking for you!" A pink haired ninja yelled while running towards her team mate. He appeared to have short black hair and black ninja gear that revealed his lower abdomen. He noticed his team mates coming closer and decided to stop his pace.

Naruto came up rather quickly, "I wanted to ask you something."

"What is it?" The pale boy asked curiously.

"We want to know more about Danzo," The kunoichi replied with anger tinted in her voice.

The boy looked at his team mates skeptically before uttering a sound, "I can't."

That answer infuriated them. Was their friend hiding something about that man? Could they have really trusted someone who wouldn't even tell them the truth?

"What? Why not?"

"Are you taking **his **side?" The pink haired ninja retorted with her orange haired companion.

"No, It's not that," Sai felt a bit overwhelmed and threw his hands up in defense, "I literally can't talk about him because of this," His mouth opened and revealed something that astounded the both of them.

"A… seal?" Sakura asked while gazing in concern.

On Sai's tongue was a vertically running set of black rectangles through the middle of his tongue and four separated smaller rectangles branching from those near the end of his tongue.

"Yeah, Danzo puts it on all of the foundation members," He said with a simple conviction, "And if I try to talk about him, my whole body will become paralyzed and I'll be unable to move or talk."

Sakura's face etched itself into worry, "He's really cautious."

"Danzo and the foundation are top secret," Sai replied in seriousness, "We've done a lot of dirty deeds to protect the village. And so that no information gets out, he puts these seals on us that prevent us from talking. Not even the most trained interrogators can get us to break."

"But how can Danzo do that to his own men? I don't get it…" Sakura said with interest.

Sai looked over to her and responded, "You may not like how he does things, but that is how he has protected Konoha all of these years. In his own way, he really cares about the village."

"Well, what about Sasuke?" She yelled rather violently, "He went back on Tsunade's promise about killing Sasuke and is now letting anyone get the chance to kill him!"

The astounded the black haired boy, "R-Really? I didn't hear anything about that."

Chk!

A metallic sound dropped their reactions and caused them to gain a look at new entities approaching their right, "Tell me everything you know about Sasuke, since he seems to be a friend of yours," A woman with a bandana Kumogakure headband wrapped around her dark red hair pointed her single edged blade at Team Seven with a look that meant business. The blade gleamed with an impeccable sheen that meant she must have kept her sword clean at all times.

Reacting on instinct, Naruto grabbed the closest thing he could find which was Sai's small blade and popped the Cloud Ninja's sword out of it's stance with a swift strike, momentarily stunning the ninja. Without stopping his momentum, he tried to elbow the woman in the face but was interjected with the hilt of the other Cloud ninja's blade. The woman quickly rolled her back on the other Cloud ninja's back to do another attack. The man shouted a reminder about not hurting the Leaf ninja and the woman reacted by twisting her blade backwards. But before she could do a hit on the opposing Leaf-nin, A Shadow clone popped up in front of her blade grasping it tightly and making sure it didn't go anywhere.

Sakura rushed into the fight along with Sai as they both tried to counter with their team mate, but the male Kumo-nin jump kicked the pink haired team member sending her skidding across the dirt. The orange clad Shadow Clone ran over to help Sakura as she kept sliding and went to her aid. Bouncing off of her team mate, the Kumo Kunoichi elbowed Naruto in the neck causing the Kawarimi'd Shadow Clone to dispel and reaching an impasse in the fight.

"What are you doing!" Naruto said with anger while helping his pink haired friend.

After getting a better look at the enemies, everyone realized that they were Kumo ninja.

"Kumogakure ninja? What are you doing here?"

"You were talking about Sasuke!" The male Kumo ninja said while pointing at the opposing team, "Tell us about him!"

"What does he have to do with you!"

The male Kumo ninja grew a vein in his temple and threw his index finger to the one asking, "He has everything to do with us! Uchiha Sasuke is the one who attacked our village!"

"That missing ninja took our master and we don't even know if he is dead or alive!" The red headed Kumo female said while swinging her arm through the air.

Sakura was confused, "Why would Sasuke do something like that?"

"How should we know what Akatsuki wants?"

Naruto's eyebrow raised slightly at hearing the word Akatsuki somehow being related to Sasuke, "What? What do you mean Akatsuki?"

"Are you serious?" The red head fired back, "Sasuke is a member of Akatsuki!"

Naruto's heart sank after hearing that. Sasuke has really stooped so low as to join the group that is after him. Why was he doing these things? What could have made him possibly turn so bad? After contemplating for a little longer, he spoke again, "Are you sure it's really him?"

"Yeah," They both responded while the red head continued, "He was wearing the Uchiha crest and the description matched up with him too."

"Is he a host just like me?"

Both Kumo ninja froze a tad and could only say one thing, "Yeah, but you're a Jinchuuriki too?"

"Yes," Naruto replied with seriousness in his voice, "And Akatsuki is going after all of us. They need us alive so your master may still be alive and well."

"What?" They both responded in shock. They obviously didn't know that the Akatsuki had certain plans that required the hosts to remain intact for a short amount of time.

"Yeah," He replied while walking over to them, "You need to go and save your master before you go after Sasuke. And I'll tell you what, I'll also help you look for him and tell you everything I know about Akatsuki."

"Good thinking, carrot top," The red head responded while pointing her blade, "But don't forget to tell us about Sasuke."

"Naruto," A concerned voice called from his left.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan," The orange haired Jinchuuriki said, "Leave everything to me."

(Space Break)

"This seems like a good place to me," A female voice replied while grabbing someone and throwing them to onto a wall rather forcefully and pushing her arm into his throat causing him to choke, "Now tell us everything about Sasuke."

Naruto told his team mates that he would escort the Kumo ninja and tell them what they needed to know. Unfortunately, it was never Naruto's plan to tell them about Sasuke. He just wanted to get far enough away from his team mates so they wouldn't hear him and the other ninja doing "business", because he had a good feeling that it would probably end up to that effect. He led them to a secluded building in the middle of the woods where they could talk in private.

The red headed ninja wasn't in the mood for games and she really wanted to get to the bottom of things. Her rendition of what happened was that Killer Bee was taken captive by Sasuke while Bee was momentarily away. It wasn't really a good thing since he was one of the last Jinchuuriki that were still alive. There had to be further explanations as to where he could have gone and what the Akatsuki were doing with him and she felt that Naruto maybe knew more than he was letting on, which was true in a way.

"I can't…" The orange headed ninja responded while gazing to the ground, "I can't betray him."

"What?" She growled as her teeth clenched shut, "You bastard… How can you say something like that now?"

Naruto formed his hands into fists as he remembered the times when Sasuke was around and throughout the things Nagato and Minato told him, "I know it's selfish…. But I can't sell him out."

She further pushed her forearm into his throat hoping it would increase her odds of revealing information, "Bastard…"

"Listen," Naruto choked, "I understand that you want revenge, but if you let hatred run rampant and it kills Sasuke, then my friends might not let it go as easily as you can!" His voice was becoming raspy, but it still held its determination, "Then they will someday get their own revenge and it will keep going! Friends we were supposed to protect will end up killing each other!"

"So… What should we do with our hatred?" The blonde Kumo ninja replied as if it were the number one question, "How are you going to make it up to us?"

The Jinchuuriki sighed once as he thought about it. He knew this moment would come, but he didn't know just how soon it would. His only resolve to the situation was in his next words, "Hit me… As much as you want. That's all I can-"

BAM!

The red head's fist connected with his face causing a multitude of cracking sounds and sounds of skin connecting with skin. The force of the punch was too great and made Naruto fall over just from the momentum that was injected throughout his body.

"That's a little too convenient, don't you think? You really think that it will work, then let's try it then!" Her fists came crashing down upon the Jinchuuriki as he laid there, defenseless by his own will. His face and ribs were taking a total beating.

Little did they know, that they had someone secretly watching them in the shadows from a tree. Sai held out and came back to see if Naruto was really going to be okay, but it turned out that he was getting a beating and didn't look like it would stop anytime soon. He could feel anger building from inside of him the longer he saw his helpless team mate getting beaten to a bloody pulp.

After another minute or so, the woman stopped momentarily to gain her breath. She was clearly tired, but she knew that she had to do what it took for Killer Bee to be safe. Naruto slowly regained his footing as he panted in distress, but still held the fire in his eye that wasn't swollen shut.

"I'm telling you!," The red head shouted again, "No amount of me beating you to death will make me feel any better! I won't stop hitting you until you tell me about Sasuke!"

Her fist came for another swing and Sai took all he could take at this scene. Sai began to run-

"If you lay one more hand on Naruto-kun, I **will** kill you!"

Sai blinked momentarily as he stopped in his tracks. Another person intervened in the fight before the Team Seven member could react. The person had an orange flower wrapped into her hair which was a faded light blue color and her whole figure appeared to be encased in papers. Not only that, but the red headed Kumo woman seemed to be connected by papers from her arm to the defenders arm by the defending Paper technique, almost as if their arms were fused together. That wasn't the thing that made the air cold and stiff. No, it was the facial features that the Leaf Kunoichi etched onto her face that could literally kill someone if it were possible. Her amber eyes were half-lidded and held no mercy which meant that she has seen more than any other could possibly imagine. Her mouth was formed into a razor like frown as her papers scattered in the wind around her figure.

"Make **one** subtle move and I won't hesitate. You will fall where you stand."

Naruto looked in front of him to see who stopped the punch and was all out surprised at who he found defending him.

"Konan-chan…"

**A/N: Hey all! I know it has been a while since I last updated, but I am still continuing this story. I have just been busy and also trying to recover bits and pieces of my muse. I LOVE this story and really plan on finishing it all of the way. I have snags where I can't concentrate and make anything decent, so I am always trying to take minor breaks in between chapters so I can relieve plot tension within my mind. **

**If anyone has noticed, I have now intertwined canon with the plot and also set a few things in motion for the story. Believe me, it's not going the same route as the canon storyline. It will share similar moments, but only because they are required to move the story forward. This next chapter coming out will be the step in which they leave Konoha for obvious reasons for the people who already know the canon.**

**Anyone notice what Konan said while in Naruto's rescue? :3**

**Next Chapter: Chapter 10- Guard and Déjà vu Pt. 2.**


	10. Chapter 10: Guard and Deja Vu Pt 2

A/N Sorry for the delay. Life has been catching up with me, and I have been busy. Hopefully, what happens in this chapter helps ease the tension you all have with me right now. Heh. ^^;

Now on to the story…

**Thoughts: **_'Thoughts'_

**Speaking:** "Speaking"

Chapter 10: Guard and Déjà vu Part. 2

"I should have known that would turn into an interrogation," Konan thought as she walked through the dusty dirt path, "But they received what they were after, I hope."

Konan was in search of Naruto but didn't know where to look. She already searched the village and asked other ninja of his whereabouts, but none of them knew. One person said he saw him a couple of hours earlier, but that didn't matter because Konan was with him during that time. People really knew how to be clueless at times.

"I will probably never find him now. He could be anywhere," Her thoughts began to worm their way onto what happened just a couple of hours earlier. _'He looks so much like him. And just when I thought it was just a fluke that we were brought together._' She combed her hair with her slender fingers as she thought about it all. The similarities were astounding. It was as if the boy was unknowingly turning into someone to prove a point to Konan. She didn't really need any more proof after what happened the night before. When she poured her heart all over the blonde, now orange haired, boy's shirt, she then realized that maybe he could truly change everything without a doubt in her mind. If he could give at least that much comfort for the woman who would never let anyone do something as have someone lend a shoulder to cry on, then maybe she could trust him. But after seeing a recognizable hair color that she knew all too well, it set her thoughts in stone about who he truly was. "'The chosen one"'

That was when a bright shade of pink caught her eye. The pinkette was roaming up the pathway with a concerned look over something and Konan was curious. She had read up on this girl while she was still in Akatsuki and also realized that she was a friend of Naruto's, _'That girl…'_

"Excuse me, Sakura-san is it?"

The one in question looked up from her daze and saw the Jounin in front of her with a semi-concerned stare, which was peculiar. Sakura didn't really like Konan for the simple fact of being an Akatsuki, but with her Leaf Jounin status and Naruto's approval of who she was as a human being, then she learned to deal with that little nagging voice, "Yes, My name is Sakura. You're Konan, right?"

"Yes," The Jounin responded with finality, "You're Naruto-san's friend, am I correct?"

Sakura stared at her impassively, but only briefly as she wondered what the woman wanted, "Yeah, why do you ask?"

Konan breathed a sigh of relief, "I was looking for Naruto-san. He left Kakashi-san's tent to look for the Godaime while I was under an interrogation, and after all of this happened, I haven't been able to find him. Do you know where he is?"

Sakura grit her teeth only slightly as she heard whom the woman was asking for, "Why are you looking for him?"

"I just have something that I need to discuss with him. It involves his Kekkei Genkai."

The pink haired girl lowered her eyes, but only for a moment. It was as if she was contemplating something. She then lifted her head; "He's talking to a couple of Kumo Ninja, just down this path."

Konan brightened up slightly after hearing his location. She had been searching for him for the last half hour and finally found out where he had been the entire time. "Thank you, Sakura-san," She replied while bowing, "You have saved me a lot of trouble."

She gave Sakura a nod and a slight smile, departing around the pink haired girl's right.

"I know what you're doing…"

Konan slowed to a stop.

"…And it's not going to work."

Sakura angled her eyebrows in anger as she turned her head just enough to view Konan, "Naruto is not going to change, no matter what you do to him."

The Jounin turned around to see a tempered Sakura staring at her. The look in Sakura's eyes was cold, as if she had some unsettled emotion with the blue haired woman.

Konan could only look in slight confusion at her words, "Sakura-san, what ever you think I am doing to Naruto-san, I'm n-"

"Save it," The pink haired girl replied narrowing her eyes, "I know you have some plan to make Naruto see Pein's way of peace. It will never happen. Naruto is far stronger than you think he is. He knows what is right and what is wrong and he will see through your lies," Sakura then turned her head forward and gazed outward as Konan frowned.

She didn't have any rebuttal and only fell silent, turning around and continuing her journey to find Naruto. It was always impossible to talk to someone who misunderstood.

Sakura only heard footsteps slowly dissipating as she stood there. A lone tear fell from her face while she breathed in and out softly.

(Space Break)

Konan spent another five minutes searching for Naruto as she walked the path. She was thinking of what Sakura thought about her intentions. Konan was going to do no such thing. Her mind changed the day she left the hollowed paper tree. If Nagato believed in Naruto, then she would too. Those plans for the Jinchuuriki were left the day Nagato died. She had no real use for any Jinchuuriki as she was not in any foul temper with the rest of the world. She just wanted to live and let live, but sometimes that became impossible if others didn't see it the same way.

It wasn't until she came over a hill when she heard a scuffle and some shouting from a female. There was a wooden shack that was hidden pretty well in the woods, but she could see it. That's where most of the noise was coming from. The shack was decrepit and the sounds didn't sound like they were coming from the inside. She decided to investigate. She made sure to keep a quiet foot and lower her chakra signature as she crept around the tree's trying to stay hidden. She came upon a tree and got a slight view of what was going on. There was a red headed female ninja along with a blonde headed, dark skinned male ninja. She assumed they were teammates. The female was huffing as she took a breather and rested her palms on her knees. She was out of breath but didn't look like she was ready to quit any time soon.

"I'm telling you, no amount of me beating you to death will make me feel better!"

So she was beating somebody senseless. It was obviously one against two as she sat there and observed.

"I won't stop hitting you until you tell me about Sasuke!"

That name alerted her to something. She was very positive that not many Leaf village ninja knew about Sasuke since he has been a missing-nin for quite some time. That only left her to ponder a little quicker as in whom they were beating up. It wasn't until the gleam from their headbands caught her attention and she went on full alert.

'_Kumo ninja. Then that must mean-"_

She moved her position only slightly to try and get a better view of whom they were fighting. That was the moment she saw orange and black clothing. Only one person wore clothes like that.

'_Naruto!_'

Something happened to Konan when she saw him that way. She didn't know what it was, but it felt like something breaking inside of her. Then a heat rose from her stomach as she stared a little longer.

The Kumo Kunoichi came for another full swing as she tried to match her target with her fist, but everything froze as a blue haired woman entered the fight. She rushed no faster than the Flying Thunder God Technique itself as she intercepted the punch with her paper technique.

"If you lay one more hand on Naruto-kun, I **will** kill you!" She slowly raised her head up to reveal two dull amber eyes. Her eyelids were lowered with fury as she stared at the red headed Kumo female, "Make one subtle move and I won't hesitate. You will fall where you stand."

"Konan-chan…" Naruto replied as he lifted his head at the sudden interjection the blue haired woman made.

"W-What the hell?" The female Kumo ninja responded as she noticed her entire arm encased in papers and frozen stiff.

"Naruto-kun, you don't have to tell these Kumo ninja anything," Konan told Naruto with intensity, "And you don't have to put up with them anymore. They will answer to **me**!"

Naruto, baffled at what was going on, tried to string coherent thoughts together. But then realized something, getting up to speak with a stiff jaw, "Konan-chan, Leave them alone. This is my fight."

"Naruto-kun," She replied with a little anger, "You don't understand. I have to protect you. If I can't fulfill my duty of protecting the one who will change the world, then what good am I?"

'_Protect me?'_ Naruto thought silently, but those thoughts were cut off as the Kumo ninja interrupted.

"I know you!" The female Kumo ninja responded after a quick thought and got angered even more, "You're an Akatsuki member! Why are you wearing a Leaf headband!"

"I am no longer a part of that terrible group," Konan stated, as she looked the other female in the eye, "That group no longer serves its original purpose and I have no interest in obtaining any Jinchuuriki. My only goal now is to protect Naruto."

"Do you expect us to believe that?" The female Kumo-nin responded with venom, "Once an Akatsuki member, always an Akatsuki member."

"I don't care what you believe. It is the truth," Konan responded while tightening the papers around the Cloud ninja's hand who began groaning from the pressure, "If you don't want a crushed hand, then I suggest that you cease your squabble with Naruto-kun."

The Kumo ninja tried to struggle free once more but relented and relaxed her posture as she stood there, putting her other hand up in surrender. She knew that she wasn't strong enough to go against an Akatsuki member, even if she was an ex member. She was here to find information, not to fight the Leaf, "Damn it."

"So, why are you helping the Leaf village?" The male Cloud ninja asked as he spoke up for the first time, "It is unusual for an Akatsuki member to be so generous."

Konan chose her words carefully while releasing the paper technique on the Kumo Kunoichi's hand, "Because I have an unpaid debt and I wish to return it, no matter what it takes," She glanced at Naruto while he looked on in silence.

"Omoi, Karui, Did you get any information?" A blonde headed, big-busted woman asked as she jumped down from a tree.

"Oh, Captain Samui!" The red head replied in shock, "I didn't realize you were here."

The blonde captain eyed Naruto with a studious gaze, "Are you causing trouble again Karui?" The one known as Samui asked the other female cloud ninja, who only looked down.

"But Captain Samui, that woman was an Akatsuki member," Karui yelled as she pointed over to Konan. Samui watched as the blue haired woman knelt beside Naruto with a frown on her face, while trying to figure out how bad the damage was that he was dealt.

"It doesn't seem like she is a threat," Samui brought up, "And plus, she is a Leaf ninja now. If we tried to take her in, it would only cause problems for our village," She mentioned while noticing Konan's attire and Leaf headband.

"But-"

"She's right Karui," Omoi stated as he looked over to both Leaf ninja, "We don't have the proper authority to take a Leaf ninja prisoner. We will just have to wait. Man, Raikage is not going to like that."

Karui huffed as she turned her view away from her group and looked over to Konan.

"Konan-chan, I'm fine."

"But Naruto, you can't stay here like this."

"Look, I'm fine. I'm the nine-tails Jinchuuriki," He replied as he tried to stand, "See? Nothing to- Ngh!" He then slumped as Konan tried to help keep him standing by wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

Karui only watched them in silence as her angry features dropped a little, probably from thought more than anything else.

"If we haven't found anything by now, then we need to gather information from their archives," Samui replied while looking to her teammates, "We don't want the same thing happening to Killer Bee as did to Yugito-san. Once we're done with that, we're going to take whatever information we have and give it to Lord Raikage. I'm sure with everything they have, we will find some intel useful."

"Hey… Take me to the Raikage," Naruto started as he gained the attention of the Kumo ninja, "I want to speak with him personally."

Samui contemplated for a moment before responding. She heard many villagers talk about Naruto Uzumaki and she heard many good things about him. But even though she heard all of those encouraging things that gained her trust, she still couldn't give him clearance, "I can't give you a proper pass to see the Raikage. Without many guards watching over him and us not knowing who you are nonetheless, we can't allow that."

The Jinchuuriki frowned once he heard that. He was almost sad about it.

"Omoi, Karui, Let's go. We have a lot to write to write down," Samui said while jumping back into the tree. Omoi left with her and Karui gave one more stare to the Leaf ninja before she followed suit.

Once they were gone, Naruto fell silent. A forlorn look etched across his face while he stood with Konan. He was stuck again. It was getting harder to protect his only brother.

"Come on," Konan replied to Naruto with a slight smile, snapping him out of his daze, "Let's get you patched up."

(Space Break)

Konan and Naruto made their way to his apartment. It only took a few minutes because the path ran straight to their end of town. Once they came up to his home, Naruto pulled out his key and fumbled with it until Konan took it from his hand and unlocked the door. Naruto was lightly startled at her for grabbing the key from him, but he realized that it was just easier that she did it instead of him. He already had one eye swollen shut, so his depth perception was getting the better of him. Konan opened the door and walked inside with Naruto's arm still over her shoulder. Then with a light push, she closed the door with a simple click.

They walked over to his couch and Konan placed him on the far right end. Konan walked away for a few moments and left Naruto to himself. After another minute or two, she came back out with multiple supplies in her hands. Bandages, patches, and ointments were just a few things the Jinchuuriki could see in her hands. Naruto looked at her with sadness.

"Konan-chan, you don't have to do this for me," The orange haired boy replied while looking down to the floor, "I can get Kakashi-sensei or Sai to hel-"

"No," The paper angel replied abruptly while casting a similar glare to the ground before turning her eyes to face him, "I can do this for you. You've… already done enough for me. I can't even pay you back a fraction for what you did."

"But… I didn't even save Nagato from Madara," Naruto responded letting his eyes lose their luster, "I'm so useless and stupid. I didn't even give a second to realize that I could have saved Nagato's body from that bastard," Naruto clenched his hands on his pants as he glared at his tight fists, "I could have saved his body and protected his Rinnegan. I didn't even come early enough to save you from getting beaten to death. I cou-" Naruto's eyes widened as he felt something wrap around him.

It was Konan.

She wrapped him into a hug with her arms going around his neck. Naruto tensed for a moment before soaking in the hug. She came to his ear and spoke lightly, "Naruto… You're not useless. You have done many things that even I couldn't or wouldn't do," She pulled out of the chaste hug and looked at him with her hands resting on his shoulders, "Even if you couldn't save Nagato's body from Madara, you did save me. I think that counts. So what if you didn't come earlier? You came when I needed you the most and saved me from my imminent death," Her eyes lowered as she spoke about the fight, "I really thought I was done for when he cast that genjutsu on me with that horrid Sharingan."

**(Flashback)**

_Before she could finish her sentence, the evil man placed a death grip on her neck, "You didn't think I'd let you do something like that did you?" She could feel the life slowly fading from her body as Madara continued talking, "I will wilt your flowers of hope and fade the bridge to oblivion. When I am finished with this jutsu, your life will be no more, but before I do that, you will show me where he lies."_

_She dared a look into the man's eye as the jutsu took place.__'N-No… I can't… No!_

_Before she knew it, the world changed into something a lot more bleak and everything faded. There was nothing but blackness and silence as she lay there or she felt like she was lying, but couldn't really tell. Emptiness kept sight from her. She tried to sit up but couldn't really move and just decided to lie there. That was when there was a small flashback of the battle that had just taken place. It was more like it was going in slow motion this time, all the way until he grabbed her by the throat and gazed at her with an eye full of hatred, and then it restarted again and again showing the same thing all the way until he glared at her with his Sharingan, 'Was that really how it was supposed to end?' She thought as she laid there unmoving, 'Nagato will never be saved now. I can't protect him. Why am I so weak?' She clenched her hands, or felt like she wanted to, and cried silently without any feeling of wetness on her face, 'My only hope lies in Naruto now. He will bring that man to his end. I just know it. He is the true embodiment of light itself.'_

_After she said that a small light peered through the darkness. It was a pinpoint hole, but it was extremely bright. She looked at it curiously and tried to get up to get to it. What was the light? Why is it there? With every fiber of strength she had, she slowly got up. More or less, she willed herself to get up. Nothing was going to keep her down. She was trained that way. She began to walk, or felt like she was walking anyway, to the light. She walked for what she guessed was five minutes, but the light still didn't get any bigger. It scared her that maybe she wasn't ever going to reach the brightness. She started running to it, trying to get closer in everyway she can. Then she stopped a few more minutes later and fell to her knees. She started sobbing again. Was this some kind of sick joke? Was some God trying to play with her and her emotions? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get any closer to the bright light in the distance. She couldn't take it. She was, in all actuality, a very feeble minded girl. She was scared and felt alone. This was who she was. The cold outer shell and everything she was before was stripped away from her. This was her true form. _

"_I knew it! I'm pathetic! I can't do anything right! Why is everything so difficult!" Konan pounded her fist on the black surface she was sitting on and brought her knees to her shoulders and wrapped her arms around them, resting her head on her knees, "I should just… die alone."_

_A couple of moments later, a figure placed his hand on her shoulder, "Hey Konan-san, you shouldn't give up."_

_Konan slowly raised her head up and revealed puffy eyes and cheeks. But it wasn't the Konan everyone now knew. This Konan took the form of her twelve year old self in an over sized Akatsuki outfit. She looked up and widened her eyes at who she saw, "N-Naruto-san?"_

_The figure looked down at her with a wide but warm grin. He was a golden colour with a golden cloak with bright golden flames that danced around his form. He also bore black tattoo like designs on his torso that was unknown to Konan. Of course she recognized him entirely once she saw the whisker marks etched on his face._

"_I know you want to just forget everything and I understand that, but… if you do that, then you will never know what will be in store for you," He replied warmly._

_Konan looked at him for a moment before responding. His presence was astounding. She had never seen him like that before. His appearance was calming in a way as well because only a few moments ago she was so tired of it all, but now it was as if something was different. _

"_But Naruto-san, How am I supposed to have anything in store for me. I died. He used his Sharingan on me," The blue haired girl replied in question and looked like she was going to choke on tears again._

_Naruto placed his hand to his chin as if in thought, "Yeah, I suppose you're right. You seem to be in a pretty bad situation."_

"_That's what I thought!" Konan replied in anger, "Even __**you**__ don't even know how I will ever live again! I knew I should have never believed in you! You're just a big fake who never knew the realities of life!"_

_Naruto stood there silently as he took in all of her insults. He looked at her with an impassive face, "I never knew you thought that about me."_

_Konan cried to herself as she sat there. _

"_If you truly feel that way about me, then I guess I will just-"_

"_No! Please stay here! I'm sorry, Naruto-san. I'm just… I don't know what to do," She replied making Naruto stop midway in his turn around. _

_Naruto walked over to her with his brightened aura following him, "Konan-san, You are a strong woman. You already know what you must do. You knew the entire time."_

_Konan looked back up at the now grinning Naruto and pondered momentarily. What did he mean she already knew? Unless… "I should help to defeat Madara."_

_Naruto gave her a wider grin that turned into a foxy smile, "Exactly, did you think I could kick his butt without you? You know everything about him. You know his moves, his weaknesses, and what he is planning. If you weren't around, I don't think I could do it on my own. Besides, we're best friends now aren't we?"_

_Konan thought about his statements. 'Friends?' She thought of the alliance as nothing more than a bond of countries, not a friendship with Naruto. Could they really be friends? She smiled at the thought. 'Another friend…'_

"_Now," Naruto started as he held out his hand, "Are you going to mope around or are you going to help me give this guy the ass kicking that he deserved a long time ago?"_

_That statement took Konan aback for a moment before she broke out into the warmest smile she ever had in a while, "Sure, Naruto-kun, Let's do it!" She grabbed his hand as he lifted her up to her feet. _

_Naruto made a mad dash towards the light while Konan ran side by side with him. The further they ran, the closer the light was coming. Konan slowly changed to her adult self with each step she took as they slowly picked up their pace by moving faster and faster. The light was looming ever closer as Naruto looked over to her and responded with a determined smile, "Don't worry Konan-chan. I will help you every step of the way. We will do this together. I promise…"_

_Konan returned the smile and a light nod at her friend as they gained even more speed that was fast enough to break the sound barrier. Suddenly they came to the giant light as it encased both of them and consumed their masses…_

_There was darkness yet again. It was so dark before, but this time… it wasn't as bad. She could feel an aching on her body. It was aching all over. There was a booming sound and something kept hitting her face. It was a feeling she knew was familiar. Her body felt like it was rocking in a jagged motion and a faint hissing sound eventually turned into what sounded like water pelting on water. And before she knew it._

_**Cough Cough**_

_A violent coughing session was ensuing. She coughed a multitude of times as water spewed from her mouth with a light mixture of blood that trickled down the side of her lips. After she calmed down a little, she opened her eyes blearily to see a gray canopy overhead, which turned out to be clouds when she focused a little more. Raindrops were dripping on her face one at a time as she angled her head to see where she was. _

_The ocean._

"_I'm… Alive," She spoke quietly, "But… How's that possible?"_

_She lazily glared down at the hole in her chest that was supposed to make her bleed out, but yet, nothing seemed to be coming out, "It's healed? I don't understand."_

_She slowly got up to her feet, which turned out to be a little simpler than she thought it would be, Although she did have a splitting headache after standing up on the water with the water walking technique._

_After regaining her bearings, she realized where she was and what she needed to do, "Nagato! I have to protect his body! I just hope I'm not too late!" With a small limp, she began running towards the secret place that she hid Nagato's body in, 'I promise Nagato, I will keep you safe.'_

_**(End Flashback)**_

"I just don't know how I survived that day," Konan replied while bandaging his torso, "It was truly a miracle that I was ever able to live again. His attack should have killed me, but yet… it didn't."

Naruto looked down in thought as he mulled over everything she said to him. It seemed to surprise him as well. He very well knew that an Uchiha placing a genjutsu on someone was devastating and deadly, after having seen Itachi place Kakashi in Tsukuyomi. It shouldn't have even been possible for her to survive it.

"Yeah, Naruto-san, if you weren't there when I was fending off Madara, I could have very well lived up to the expectation of his outcome to the genjutsu."

Naruto curled his lips upwards as he saw her smile at him. It wasn't a fake smile. It was actually genuine, "Don't worry abou- YOW! It's tender there!" He groaned as he looked at her with squinted eyes.

"Oh! Sorry, Naruto-san!" Konan said with worry that she may have put too much pressure.

"Eh, It's no big deal, Konan-chan," He replied with a half lit smile.

Konan felt a little strange after she heard that response. It was a weird feeling and in a way, it felt… familiar.

After a few moments of silence, the Jinchuuriki became concerned, "Is something wrong, Konan-chan?"

She quickly snapped from her thoughts as she looked to Naruto, "No, nothing is wrong. I am fine."

Naruto contemplated, but took the statement at face value. After another moment of wrapping, Naruto felt a little uncomfortable with their close proximity to each other, but breathed a mental sigh of relief as she finally finished his chest area. It was unusual for him to have someone virtually unknown to him invading his personal space. He didn't really mind it because he knew that she was trying to help, but it really surprised him just how much it bothered him.

"Okay, Naruto-san, lift up your arm for me as good as you can, so I can wrap it," Came the gentle tone of Konan's voice.

Naruto did as he was told and roughly lifted his arm. It was really sore from the encounter earlier that day with the Kumo ninja. _'That woman really knew how to pack a punch. She really beat the shit out of me.'_ Naruto thought with a groan. He knew he was going to get hit, but he didn't think that it would hurt this much. The orange haired boy tensed as he felt the gauze wrap around his arm.

It started at his shoulder as Konan worked her way down his arm. She still had plenty of wrap to go through as she continued wrapping lower and lower. Then another strange sensation occurred. _'What is this feeling?'_ Konan asked in confusion. It kept hitting her. It was as if she was forgetting something and had it on her tongue. She couldn't for the life of her realize why she was feeling this unusual sense. She only sighed as she kept wrapping his arm, delicately overlapping so she wouldn't mess up and have to start over again.

Naruto was feeling awkward with the unbearable silence so he started up again. It seemed that Konan was feeling down about something and it made him feel a little sad. So he figured that he could maybe tell her a joke to ease the tension that had fallen ever since she started on his arm.

"Hey, Konan-chan, I think th- Gyaa_aaahhh!"_

_Konan looked up with widened eyes. She shot her eyes over to her teammate. He seemed to be experiencing pain again as she continued to bandage his arm. She stopped immediately as she sat there and stared at him. There was something that she had to get off of her chest. _

_She was facing problems with her feelings for another shinobi. They were friends since they were young and he was always there for her when she was down. Of course he was an immature boy when he was younger, but he grew into something that she greatly admired. He saved her plenty of times. But they were always doing missions and she couldn't let her affections be known. There was too much going on during the time to allow any of that to happen. Her feelings grew over the years as they continued protecting each other and getting to know each other better. Yahiko was her very best friend that she ever had. Of course, she really liked Nagato too, but she just didn't feel the same way with him. He was always one of her best friends, but she didn't have romantic feelings for him. There was something about Yahiko that made her choose him. Maybe it was his ability to become a leader? _

_She wasn't going to wait any longer. She had been waiting to do this her entire life. She was going to do it and throw all caution to the wind. She just hoped to God that he felt the same way for her. It actually made her nervous, but she couldn't show it, so she tried her best to put up a decent front. She slowly wormed her way past his leg while staring intently into his eyes. He would only look at her in shock as she crept closer to him by having one leg between his legs and one on the outside. Her face came closer and closer to his as she brought her courage forward. The butterflies started setting in as she could feel his breath softly blow onto her skin. She couldn't stop now because they were so close already. She hit the point of no return. Surprisingly enough to her, he didn't seem to be rejecting her as he sat there dumbfounded by her advance. She was only two inches away from his face as she closed her eyes. She edged slower and slower until she finally encountered resistance as her lips pushed against his. An instant spark shot from her mouth and radiated throughout her body as she kissed the one that she loved the entire time. It was something that she hoped for the entire time. It made her feel, in a way, complete with herself. _

_The kiss soon heated up as Konan tried to apply her tongue to the equation. The recipient offered no resistance as he let her enter into his mouth and added his own as well. This kiss made her realize that she really did love this man. This kiss made her understand why everything happened the way it did. This kiss was, in Konan's point of view, perfect. _

_Soon, Konan stopped the kiss as she came out of it for air. Her eyes were still closed as she basked in the recent sensation that came before her. She didn't have anything to say about it. She was content. She finally saw that everything wasn't just one sided, that he also liked her as well. It was a good feeling to be kissed, one that she wanted to experience again and again._

"K-Konan-chan… I…"

The blue haired woman opened her eyes slowly as she looked into her lover's eyes. His eyes were widened as a blush stretched all the way across his face. He never underwent anything like that before. It was his first time.

"Konan-chan, I didn't…"

The woman he was referring to came off of her happiness that etched across her face and soon turned it into a face of utter shock. She was speechless. How could something like this happen? What she had done was unimaginable, unthinkable. Her breathing trembled as she tried to speak coherently, but it was turning out to be a bit harder than she thought.

"I… We… Naruto-san…" Konan said as her face flushed from the moment. She slowly tried to back away from Naruto's face as her butterfly feelings came back. She couldn't believe it. One thing that she never would have thought would happen in a million years had actually taken place right before her eyes.

She kissed Naruto.

**DAMN! I can't believe it either. :o**

**If people didn't know, She unknowingly went into a flashback of where she first kissed Yahiko and didn't realize she was kissing Naruto the entire time in real life. **

**Anyway, Another chapter done finally after a month and a half. I can only offer my most sincere apologies on the delay. My muse left me during that time and I had to leave writing for a while so I could gather my mental strength back. I am just happy that I wrote this chapter! This final scene for the chapter is actually one of the first scenes I thought of when I began writing this story in January. I hope you all enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed writing it. **

**No, it's not going to be this easy for them to get together. I have repeated this before. Just a forewarning. Easy relationships are unrealistic and this one is going to take a LOT of encouragement and courage for this relationship to even pick itself from the ground. **

**Review please. It let's me know what people think of the chapter and story so far. **

**Next Chapter- Chapter 11: Departure**


	11. Chapter 11: Departure

Since we have reached the first turn in the story, it is now going to get a little different storywise. Either way, enjoy.

Thoughts: _'Thoughts'_

Speaking: "Speaking"

Chapter 11: Departure

It was a winter evening during their voyage. It has been a week since they left Konoha. Naruto departed with Kakashi and Yamato with Konan trailing a little further behind than usual. They were in search of a particular person and didn't have time to waste. Every second counted.

"K-k-kakashi-sensei, How much longer d-d-do you think i-i-it will be before we reach there? I'm f-f-freezing my ass o-o-off," Naruto replied through chattering teeth.

The Jounin could only sigh as he watched his student wrap his stiff limbs around himself, rubbing his arms furiously to stop the cold chill, "Not much further Naruto, we will be there by tomorrow afternoon."

Naruto whined about that because that was still a day away. Oh how he wished he were under a heatlamp or a fireplace, or just being back in plain old Konoha with sweltering heat. He would rather have anything except the cold. He did host the Kyuubi. They continued running and jumping as the sun slowly set in the sky. Naruto looked from the corner of his eye and saw Konan. She was keeping a much longer distance than she normally would away from the boy. On top of that, she hasn't even spoken a word to him during the entire trip. If anything was said, she only spoke one word sentences that usually agreed or disagreed. If Naruto tried to say something to her, she would turn her head and avoid eye contact. It was something that Naruto became worried about. _'I wonder if it has something to do about the time she kissed me?' _Naruto thought silently as he continued looking at Konan through his peripheral. She was still avoiding his gaze as if she knew he was watching, although the look on her face told him that she also seemed to be deep in thought.

(FLASHBACK)

Everything came to a screeching halt as Konan absorbed exactly what happened. Silence encased the room as she slowly backed away from Naruto's face. She couldn't believe that she could do something like that. How could she be so careless? Both of their faces matched each other's as shock set in the both of them.

"I… We… Naruto-san," The blue haired woman responded with a lump in her throat. How could she do this? She did the one thing that she never would have thought in a million years she would do.

She kissed Naruto.

How can that even be possible? Even the thought of doing that to the boy was unreal, so how did it come to pass? Both of their faces were flushed and there was an obvious reason why, but neither could speak their own opinion. There were many things wrong with this picture and Konan could name them off automatically. If this was Konan a month ago in this situation, she would have left an impassive face and automatically told him it was nothing, unless she just didn't allow herself to get into that position at all back then. Then again, the only other way she could have gotten this way back then would be if she were about to trick someone and kill them in order to get information for the Akatsuki. But that was then, now it was as if she was jumbled and mix-matched. On top of that, she was even **blushing**. She hasn't blushed since the day she professed her love by kissing Yahi-

Konan immediately jumped off of Naruto and ran outside of his house slamming his front door behind her. Naruto tried to call her back but she ignored him, completely fleeing the scene. As Naruto sat down, the earlier moments activity sat in his brain. Placing two fingers to his mouth in awe, it was as if he was trying to feel the same sensation he had when their lips met one another's.

"She kissed me… I don't understand," He continued questioning the reason behind it, "Why did she kiss me?"

(Space Break)

Konan ran to the forest and continued running until civilization was harder to see. She didn't want anyone to notice her in such a vulnerable state. People could be very cruel to someone like her. She kept sprinting at full speed before she tripped on a root and fell to the ground with a loud thud. She completely unnoticed the root because her eyes were teared up making everything blurry and distorted. Once she hit the ground, she groaned and sniffled as she picked herself up and held herself on her hands and knees. Her tears were falling profusely, patting the ground and dampening the dirt into a darker shade. Her face was contorted and full of unsettled melancholy emotion. Her teeth were clenched because she could no longer hold it in.

She came to an idea, but brushed it off before as coincidence. After kissing Naruto, this coincidence became something she couldn't tolerate. Was Naruto transforming into some alternate form of Yahiko? No, that couldn't be true. No one could ever replace Yahiko, Especially Naruto Uzumaki.

She picked herself up and patted the dirt off of her clothes, sniffling and wiping her eyes continuously to try and assure herself that she needed to be stronger than she is now. _'Yahiko died years ago, there's no reason for me to cry this way.'_

(END FLASHBACK)

Konan knew the boy was watching her, but she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. What she did was so unspeakable, that she couldn't even talk to the boy or anyone for that matter. It felt so wrong. Who knew that something so simple could make the paper user lose herself in uncertainty. But the question was, why was she letting this get to her? It was something so simple and meaningless. It's not like she did it on purpose. Accidents happen, right? But it was an accident that couldn't ever be forgotten. Something like this would haunt her for the rest of her days.

Whenever Naruto would try to talk to her about it, Konan would only try her best to ignore him or just disappear away from him altogether. She knew that he may have been worried, but she just couldn't bear to face him. The embarrassment was too much to bear, so much that she felt as if she had no other choice but to keep herself away from him. Konan didn't want to give the orange haired boy any ideas about what happened a week before.

Naruto knew that something was wrong as he continued eyeing her. She looked so sad. After several of Naruto's attempts to make her happy, she finally broke her depression and started smiling again. But now, it looked like she was going down the same path and would fall deeper than she did before if it was possible, but highly unlikely. He didn't want that. He knew she didn't want that either. There have been a couple of times where Naruto would try to confront the blue haired woman about what happened before, but she would walk away from the group and tell him not to follow her. Of course, Naruto being ignorant about her situation as he was, tried to follow after her, but Kakashi stopped him in his tracks. The Jinchuuriki obviously got quite upset about that, but Kakashi knew that Konan needed some time to herself for a change. Ever since they had that first talk when he followed her the first time, He knew that she felt chained and bound like a prisoner of the Leaf Village and felt that maybe some quiet time was all she needed. He figured he could give her that much, if any at all. He may not have had much trust in her, but he had enough to give her space.

The sun slowly set over the horizon as Kakashi finally stopped in a small clearing in the woods, making the others that were following him do the same.

"Alright, We will camp here for the night. We will do the same as we have been before; take turns on watch every two hours. Konan and Naruto will share the same tent while Yamato and myself share."

Naruto nodded his head while Konan stayed silent and looked in a different direction.

(Later that night.)

Konan sat by a tree listening to her surroundings and getting a feel for chakra signatures around as she did her watch. She stayed silent as she gazed at the moon in thought. The woman totally lost herself as she looked upon the big white orb in the sky, thinking about how enormous it could actually be. The view was truly remarkable, although the clouds kept floating across the moon obstructing her view. She has only seen the moon a handful of times when she was younger and other times when she was out on missions for Akatsuki. It always rained everyday in Amegakure, but once or twice a year, the rain would stop and the clouds would part, revealing a shining, beautiful circle in the sky. Konan would look onto it in amazement and awe. It was always something that she would remember and treasure, not only because of the beauty, but because it always calmed her when she looked at it. It was almost as if it was telling her that things would get better or telling her that the clouds would eventually part in her life revealing a great peace. Looking around the Moon, she also saw all of the tiny shining specks in the sky.

The stars…

They were so small and insignificant, but they complimented the moon as if they belong together. She could only smile as she softened her eyes on the sky's canvas. Things like this would make all of her worries disappear in an instant and she would feel glad about it. When she was in Akatsuki, she never had breaks like this to really enjoy nature. But now as she sat here viewing the wind blowing the tree limbs softly and looking at the snow glistening on the ground, she really became that much closer to nature.

"Konan-chan."

The woman in question abruptly snapped out of her daze and looked over to her right. Her eyes widened as she looked at him, only for her to quickly shift her gaze to the ground with a frown, "What do you want, Naruto-san?"

"I want to talk about what happened la-"

"There's nothing to talk about," The blue haired woman quickly replied while turning her gaze the opposite way from Naruto, "Now if there is nothing else to say, then leave."

"But Konan-chan, why did you do it?"

Konan fell silent as she stared at the blanket of snow on the ground as if it was something important, "I don't know why. It just happened," As soon as it escaped her mouth, She knew that was the wrong thing to say, but she couldn't think of anything else, if Konan told him that she thought he was Yahiko or that she got lost in the moment, then the woman would look crazy or as if she really did like the boy.

"But Konan-ch-"

"Look, Naruto-san," Konan replied with a sigh, "I know you are confused and probably questioning whether or not I have feelings for you."

Naruto stood there dumbfounded as she completely guessed what he was thinking.

"But you should clearly know that what happened then was completely an accident. Our relationship is purely friend based, nothing more. I am only here to fulfill Yahiko's and Nagato's vision of peace and help protect the world from Madara."

Naruto inwardly felt a little sad about that, although he really didn't know why.

"Now, if you have nothing more to talk about, please leave me alone. I just want to be by myself for a while," She turned her eyesight back to the moon as she sat there trying to forget that Naruto was even around her.

Naruto stood there, soaking up everything that she said. It took him well over a few seconds before he made up his mind. He walked over nonchalantly and sat down beside Konan.

"W-What are you doing?"

The orange haired boy dropped his eyes to her direction, "I'm staying with you."

"But why? I said I didn't want you here. I need to figure things out on my own."

"Good," Naruto said confidently, "You can figure it out… while I'm sitting here."

"Naruto-san, why are you making things so difficult?" The woman replied with an annoyed but sad gesture, "Haven't you done enough already?"

"Because I made a promise and I plan to keep it."

Konan flashed her eyes to his direction and locked her gaze onto his. His look was determined, just like that night. She tried to find falseness in his gaze or voice but found none.

"I told you that I would never let you steer yourself that low again. Nobody deserves that, you know?" Naruto looked to the ground and brought his head back up to look at her with a grin, "Believe it or not, Keeping you happy is one of my most important goals in life and I vowed to keep you in the happiest mood you have ever been and ever will be."

Before she knew it, she felt a slight warmness to her cheeks. That last comment was something she wasn't expecting. Although, she already knew that Naruto didn't mean it in the other way, having someone say that to her was something that she oddly liked to hear. Before she knew it, she smiled to him, "Thank you, Naruto… Kun."

He looked over to her and grinned right back. It seemed that this was all that she needed to set her mind straight and it eased Naruto's worries. Her adding "Kun" to the end of his name only made it better. She trusted him now. Konan didn't have to think about it anymore. Of course, he reminded her so much of Yahiko, because her dead lover's will rested on this boy's shoulders. Heroes always carry the same determination. Maybe he will grow more mature with age like Yahiko did? Only time will tell.

"Konan-chan."

Stirring her from her ruminations, she looks over, "Yes?"

"I can take the rest of your shift and take mine too. You deserve more rest than I do. You haven't slept very well in the past few days and I think you should sleep a little more."

"Naruto-kun," The woman replied while looking slightly startled, "You know I can't do that. I don't want to take away from your equal resting period. You will be tired in the morning."

"Heh, Nonsense, I can handle myself," Naruto retorted while puffing out his chest, "You should relax and let me handle it. You need your beauty rest and I can't take no for an answer."

Konan was about to retort to that, but she realized that Naruto was indeed stubborn once it came down to certain things, so she just smiled a warm smile, "I guess, you're right, I do need my rest," She stood up and dusted off the snow from her pants, "I have a feeling that I won't have any more sleeping problems. Good night, Naruto-kun."

"Good night."

And with a wave of her hand, she walked back to the tent that Naruto and her share, leaving the blond boy alone with his thoughts. He could only grin as he thought about Konan's smile. He never realized that all she needed was a little talking to. He never knew it was that easy. He sighed contentedly as he lay on the trunk that Konan was laying on previously.

Konan opened the flap to her tent and took off her flak jacket and orange flower. Stretching out her arms, she crawled into her sleeping bag and took notice of the heaviness that began to descend on her eyelids. She didn't really have time to think about what she wanted to think about. All she knew was that she hasn't felt this sleepy in a long while. She never knew it was so simple. The woman closed her eyes and slowly drifted away into a bright, expansive, and grassy field.

A/N: **Yes, Yes, I know that all of you are very upset with this extremely long delay of a chapter. I'm sorry. I truly am. I'm experiencing life problems and they are interfering with my motivation to write. Luckily, I am stronger than that and am willing to complete this story with whatever it takes. I don't expect this story to go over 25 chapters, but originally, I thought this would be a 40-chapter story, so we will see where it goes. Again, thanks for all of the support and I hope to see all of you in the next chapter update. **

**Next Chapter- Chapter 12: Rivalries**


	12. Chapter 12: Rivalries Pt 1

**Author's Note: Always read the bottom author's note after reading the chapter. **

**Talking: **"Talking"

**Thinking:** '_Thinking'_

**Chapter 12**

"No, Naruto-kun, do it again."

"Right. Sorry, Konan-chan."

Naruto was busy practicing a new jutsu that Konan was currently teaching him. He had been doing this for quite some time during the day and he was left feeling tired and running short of chakra. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't do it. After trying again, but failing, he just fell to the ground with a sigh.

"I can't do it Konan-chan. Learning to control paper with Fuuton chakra is really hard," He replied puffing for air. Konan sighed softly while walking over to him. She could understand his difficulty for the special ability she has. It was her Kekkei Genkai and something that she treasured deeply. It's not like she learned how to master paper jutsu in a day.

"I understand Naruto-kun, but if you want to learn a new ability while gaining new tactics to use with me, then you will have to learn how to use this," The woman replied softly while lying down next to Naruto.

They became real comfortable with each other after that small talk they had the night before. It seemed they reached a middle ground and truly felt that everything was alright. With his back to the ground, Naruto looked into the clouds of the bright afternoon sky. It was so peaceful and not a soul in sight. The wind blew softly between the both of them and made it seem as if there wasn't a care in the world.

"It's so nice out here today. I wish every day was like this," Naruto said with a smile.

Konan turned her head slightly to view him. She broke out into a warm smile before looking back up into the sky, "I couldn't agree with you more."

Their gazes were fixed on the deep blue canvas as white puffs of cotton floated across the view. The trees shook softly to the rhythm of the wind and left a harmonious atmosphere upon them both. The life seemed to be so thriving and wonderful. A few moments later, a bird chirped in one of the trees leaving Naruto to sigh in disappointment.

"I think we should head back to Kakashi-Sensei. He might get concerned about us," Naruto said reluctantly. He slowly started pulling himself up, when a hand grabbed his sleeve and tugged it.

"Wait, Naruto-kun. Why don't we just lay here a little bit longer," Konan asked a little desperately.

Naruto looked back at her and saw her face before looking back to a general direction and scratching his face, "I really don't think we should keep Kakashi-sensei waiting."

He tried to get up again before Konan gripped him tighter, this time on the wrist, "But, Naruto-kun, I-"

She apparently pulled too tight and it made Naruto stumble before regaining his balance by placing both of his palms on the ground. After getting his bearing back, he realized one thing, "Konan-chan."

"N-Naruto-kun?…" He was on top of Konan in a very delicate situation. The woman looked at him with a redness to her face and a silent tongue. Naruto looked down upon her with a certain tint to his own cheeks, _'W-Wait a minute, why am I blushing? Think Naruto, You can't like her. What happened last time was an accident. AN ACCIDENT! But I'm frozen… Why can't I get off?"_

That was when he looked at her face. With it being so red, it made her look so cute. She couldn't look any better. She had a natural pale complexion because of her years of staying in Amegakure, but now her skin had darkened up a bit leaving a warmer natural glow and sheen. Maybe that sheen came from being in the heat today? His eyes lowered to her lips. He tried to look away, but they were just so enticing. They were a light shade of pink that slightly sparkled in the sun. They looked so soft and inviting that looking at them only drew him closer to her face. He hasn't kissed a girl before and the only one he did kiss was the woman that was lying below him. It felt so good, so why shouldn't he do it again? It's not like she wasn't enjoying it the last time, _'But it's not right… I shouldn't do this. I-I can't control myself though. But… It's not like she's resisting. M-Maybe just a slight brush against the lips would be okay?'_

Konan's thoughts were along the same lines as Naruto's, _'This isn't right. I shouldn't be doing this with him. But… I can't keep myself from staring at him. I-I'm so embarrassed. Well… maybe one kiss would be okay? I mean… we __**have**__ kissed before…wait a minute, WHAT AM I SAYING!? Oh god, he's getting closer!'_ She was gazing at Naruto with soft half lidded eyes, almost like she has been wanting or waiting for Naruto to do this. She didn't want to fight it because she knew that it felt good the last time. It wasn't like anybody was watching them. She couldn't feel a presence around at all. It only left her wanting his kiss more. Her heartbeat slowly picked up its pace as she stared at his mouth slowly inching its way to hers.

Naruto eventually brushed his lips against hers as they both closed their eyes. As soon as the kiss started, it went very slowly and softly. Konan blushed even darker as she brought her hands up to Naruto's broad body. Her left hand went to his hair as she started massaging his scalp. Her other hand went to his back as she felt Naruto's kiss deepen. She softly moaned into Naruto's mouth at the intense sensation. She hasn't kissed in so long and she forgot just how good it really felt, "Mmgh Haaahh, Naruto-kun~~~."

Naruto copied her as he continued kissing her sweet lips, "Mmmnnn, Konan-chan."

"Naruto-kun…"

"Konan-chan…"

"N-Naruto-kun!"

*WHAP!*

Naruto opened his eyes quickly as he pulled himself up. He stretched as he got a look at his surroundings. It was pitch black in the night; the sun wasn't even close to rising yet. He rubbed his eyes rather quickly as he realized Konan hit him moments before. He looked over to see Konan inches away from him. Actually, they were in the same sleeping bag with Naruto's sleeping bag completely empty staring at him from the other side of the tent.

"Wait a sec, Why aren't I in my sleeping bag?" Naruto asked while scratching his head.

"I should ask you the same thing," Konan replied with distaste and arched eyebrows. She folded her arms as Naruto turned his head to view her and started sweating in nervousness. He knew that Konan was mad at him. Something like that was uncalled for if it was done on purpose. Immediately, Naruto got out of Konan's vicinity as he threw his hands up in defense.

"Konan-chan, I swear I would never try to sleep in the same bag without permission!"

Konan blushed faintly at Naruto's poor choice of words before rebuttling, "W-Whatever, just forget about it. Your hormones have kicked in full force. It's only natural you would try to pull something like that," She pulled the covers back over her body and rolled over to keep herself from facing him, "Although, contrary to what you may believe, I am **NOT **easy. So do yourself a favor and stay in your sleeping bag because next time, I will put you in a full body paper cast and tie you to a tree. Take this as fair warning."

"B-But I didn't-"

"Good Night, Naruto-kun."

The orange haired boy sighed in guilt, "Yeah, good night, Konan-chan," He rolled over in his sleeping bag facing the opposite of her. He knew that once she put her foot on the ground, she wasn't budging. It didn't seem like she was going to believe him no matter how hard he pleaded for his innocence.

As minutes slowly passed and things got really quiet, he started thinking about the dream he had moments before. He's never had dreams like that; At least none that involved Konan… or making out for that matter. This was something relatively new to him. _'But… I thought that was really happening. It really felt like I was there and doing all of that stuff all day. Weird…'_ He didn't want to delve into it any longer because his johnny was getting riled up and he knew that he wouldn't be able to go to sleep if it kept up. Soon after, he closed his eyes and fell into another deep sleep.

Konan however, was wide awake. She couldn't go to sleep. Not after what she experienced, _'That dream. It felt so real… and I-' _Konan blushed hard as she thought about all of those images. Not long after she had that incident in mistaking Naruto for Yahiko, she has a dream of making out with him again! She couldn't believe the way her mind was acting, _'Calm down Konan, it was just a dream. You didn't actually let Naruto have his way with you,'_ She mentally face palmed herself, _'What am I thinking!? These thoughts should be illegal,'_ They were wrong. How could she start thinking about Naruto in a way like that? She's only supposed to look after his well-being and make sure he is properly trained. Yes, that's right.

Friends. Nothing more. Anything further would be considered outrageous. People would look down on her for making it seem like she was taking advantage of him or something. She can't have that. Now that she thinks about it, even the sound of starting a relationship with Naruto is crazy. Konan snorted to herself as she closed her eyes, _'Yeah, why am I worried? That would never work out anyway. Naruto's the chosen child. I just wouldn't fit in the picture like that. He's the hero… and I'm just a nobody…'_

After feeling satisfied with her answer to herself, she tried to go to sleep. It came a little easier this time as her eyelids fell heavy, but her final thoughts still echoed throughout her mind.

'_He's the hero… and I'm just a nobody…'_

'…_just a nobody…'_

'…nobody…'

Xxx

"Hey, wait!"

Raikage and his guardians quickly turned to see who called them.

"I had a feeling you were going to follow us," Karui told them with a scowl, "Why don't you just stay away from us?"

Naruto came to an abrupt stop with a passive and determined look on his face. Konan followed after with the two leaders tailing them to a halt.

"Sir, I ask you. Please forgive my comrade Sasuke Uchiha," Naruto replied ignoring Karui while bowing slightly towards the Raikage, "He's been through… more than anyone would know. He just wants justice; the justice that is seen through his eyes."

The Raikage looked onward silently before turning with an angry frown, "His ignorance is what is causing all of our trouble. Why should we just let go everything that he has done? He has attacked and tried to capture my Jinchuuriki. He is a missing-nin and a part of Akatsuki as well, am I correct?"

Naruto nodded silently but didn't change his attitude, "Yes sir."

"Then he should be dealt with like any other Missing-nin should be, killed or captured for ransom," Naruto frowned as he continued, "He will most likely be killed for his actions if we were to catch him, but I am unsure about your village's practices," Raikage told him gruffly.

"Lord Raikage," Karui said while looking his way, "That woman is the person I was talking about," She pointed while looking at Konan, "What can we do? Shouldn't she be captured since she is a part of Akatsuki?"

"I **was **a part of Akatsuki," Konan replied, "But I am no longer. The group no longer served its original purpose. I only realized this after Naruto defeated the leader, so now I have an insurmountable debt that I have to pay to him and the entire Leaf village. It's only right after what I have done."

Kakashi then stepped in and placed a hand on Konan's shoulder, slightly startling her, "Due to certain circumstances, Konan here is forced to stay a part of the Leaf village for the rest of her life. She is a slave to the Leaf now and is protected by the Leaf. Therefore, if anything is done to her from any other nation or village, then, we the Leaf, will act accordingly as if she is a Leaf ninja herself."

Eii grunted before turning his head away from them, "Either way, she is still scum in my eyes. As for Sasuke Uchiha, he is a threat to my village. I will do whatever it takes to capture him… or kill him. None of your pity or words can stop me," He turned away as his guardians followed him. Karui smirked in victory because she knew the Raikage would do no such thing. Everyone else was silent. They heard what he was saying and they knew it was true. Raikage spared no one. He was the type of guy you really didn't want to mess with, although before leaving eyesight, Raikage took one last glance at the strange boy while he slowly walked away.

Naruto frowned even more as he thought about what Eii said. Konan walked over to Naruto and spoke softly, "Naruto-kun, you tried. That's what matters the most. I think Raikage, was actually hinting something to you earlier. It seemed as though he could understand in a way, if at least what you were going through," Naruto looked awed by what she just said.

"He… He hinted something?"

"Yes," Konan replied while softly smiling, "He said that his village would surely kill Sasuke if they had a chance, but he also said that he didn't know if the Leaf would actually follow through with killing him at all. He could be suggesting that if the Leaf village caught him first, then maybe you would actually have a true chance in saving him."

"She's telling the truth Naruto," Kakashi responded while looking over to his student, "Sasuke may get put in solitary, but he will still be alive. It's just the point of getting him back to the leaf village that will be a problem, but it is possible."

Naruto contemplated those words before grinning with another determined face, "Then that means that I can't give up yet! I still have a chance! I'm not giving up on Sasuke."

Konan smiled at Naruto's antics. He seemed to really care about his friends. It just amazed Konan to no end, how Naruto would try to rescue a fallen friend. Friendships were very valuable things and Konan knew that firsthand. If either of her friends were alive, then maybe she would have done the same thing? No, there is no question if she would do the same thing. She would help her friends to the end. If she would have known earlier of Nagato's stress and pain, then maybe she could have prevented all of this. But the past is truly the past. Nothing can be changed except for the future, '_I hope we can turn this around. This disaster has gone on long enough. Yahiko… Nagato… Please help us,'_

"Good, then I think we should continue our trek, but first I think a stop in the town close by is in order," Kakashi said in slight humor.

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement and dashed.

**Cabin**

"Well, this place looks pretty cozy to be in the snow like this," Naruto said as he walked in.

Konan walked in behind Kakashi as he looked over to Naruto, "Well, it's not that bad. It will be better than our last sleeping arrangement, that's for sure."

Naruto looked around before he sat down on the floor. The walls echoed an eerie silence that seemed to penetrate his eardrums constantly. This room was as empty as the streets at night in Konoha. But everything was so clean and spotless that it didn't really matter that it was empty. After looking around but finding nothing really important, Naruto heard Kakashi speak up, "Konan, watch after Naruto while Yamato and myself finish up the arrangements to the cabin. It will only take us a few minutes," He did one last eye smile before he disappeared into the snow with a silent Yamato.

Naruto did the only thing he could do; he fell backwards onto the tatami mats and crossed his arms underneath his head. The truth was that he was just too in thought about Sasuke. Why would he do something like this? Why not just come back? It was so easy and everyone would eventually forgive him. Why not come home?

"Are you thinking about Sasuke?"

Naruto turned his head and saw Konan. She had a slight look of concern in her eyes, which surprised him. He just sighed, "How did you know?" Came his disheartened voice but didn't change his body position.

"Well, it's not really hard to figure out," She started while walking over to Naruto and sitting beside him, "Is this the reason why we came out this way? Are you trying to find Sasuke and bring him back to your home; his home?"

After contemplating, Naruto sighed, "I just don't understand him anymore, Konan-chan."

"What do you not understand Naruto-kun?" She replied before lying down next to him in a similar pose. Hearing his thoughts about Sasuke was really intriguing and she couldn't pass up on it. She's seen the deranged boy a few times and knew that he was experiencing something within his mind that was driving him mad.

"It's just that he used to be an okay guy. Now he has left with only a desire to kill," Konan listened with rapt attention, "But… I know he really doesn't want to do that," Naruto's eyelids lowered, "No one would. No matter how hard their life was."

"I know this may be none of my business," The jounin started, "But wasn't there a time when you used to be shunned? Didn't you feel any hatred towards any one? Enough hatred to kill? I'm sure it wasn't easy having the Leaf's hatred on your shoulders."

Naruto laid there in silence looking into space with sadness in his demeanor. His heart lightly ached from the past that he never wanted to bring up again, "Well… When I was younger and didn't know much, of course I was angry at everyone who was mean to me. I couldn't stand it," He clenched his fists very tightly before relaxing them again, "But… I always eventually got over it because of the few people that actually did understand and helped me," A slight chuckle escaped his lips, "At the time; I really didn't know why people were so mean to me. I always thought it was because they thought I was a bad kid because I lived on my own. But now I know that wasn't true. It was because I had the demon fox sealed with in my body. I carried the burden…"

"You must've been scared weren't you?" Konan asked softly, with her eyesight looking dead at him.

He looked over to her and saw something. He saw another side of Konan. She looked genuinely concerned for Naruto and didn't seem like she was faking at all. In a way, he was happy that she actually cared. It made him understand her a little better. His lips curved upward before he started speaking again, "I was at that time, but I've learned since then. I can't totally blame them for their misunderstanding. We are all just people after all. None of us can really be perfect. But… at least we can try," He laughed with a grin before looking back at Konan.

Konan smiled at the boys antics. He never let anything get him down. He always looked so confident. It just really brought up her mood.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but are you quite finished?" A dark voice interrupted as both Naruto and Konan shot their attention to the speaker. They stared at him momentarily as he held a bored posture with his chin resting on his hand.

KABOOM!

"Silly Naruto, you know Rasengan doesn't work on me," The masked figure replied as he stood on the roof by the protruding hole in the ceiling.

Naruto was all of a sudden pushed back as Konan ruffled her papers on her skin. They started peeling off and whirling around her figure as she bore her eyes into his, "Madara…"

The man only looked at her with a scoff, "Oh, so you've grown an attachment to the boy now, I see. How sweet…"

The woman didn't say anything as she lowered her eyelids in more distaste. Her anger was so deep. Just even looking at this man again caused her to almost go insane an attack him on the spot. There was only a tiny amount of restraint that was keeping her at bay. It was that little nagging voice that told her that nothing would work on him. Not at the moment anyway. She was unprepared.

Suddenly, wood sprouted from every direction as it encased Naruto into a wooden cell, "W-What the hell?!" His eyes looked up and saw Madara constricted in wood, "Kakashi-sensei!"

"We won't let you get your hands on Naruto **that **easily Madara," Kakashi told the masked man with his Sharingan blaring and a Kunai to the masked man's throat.

Madara held no emotion but simply told them, "You should already know that physical attacks do not work on me."

"Well, I don't know if you are a projection," Yamato replied while maintaining eye contact, "But I do know that you need to be physically solid in order to grab Naruto, so I'm just waiting for that moment, " Big solid blocks of wood started to slowly rise from the ground by Yamato's wood jutsu as if waiting to strike.

"I didn't come here to fight," Tobi told them nonchalantly, "I have my own plans in motion and I can't ruin it with some light squabble such as this. I just came to talk."

"To talk? Of what?" Kakashi was wary as he held the kunai closer to Tobi's throat.

"About Nagato. Naruto, I am very curious. How did you get Nagato to betray me?"

"I don't care about your stupid questions!" The boy replied with clenched teeth, "Where's Sasuke? What did you do to him?! What do you want from him!?"

"Sasuke, huh?" The masked man replied as if in thought, "Okay, I'll tell you all about Sasuke Uchiha. About the boy with so much hatred for the Leaf and carries the Uchiha's burden…"

**To be continued…**

**Author's Note:**** Okay, So I'm back. Woo! I have finally decided that no more dilly dallying should be done on my end of the deal. I am writing a story and leaving everyone unsure if whether or not I would finish it. I've told basically every time in my author's notes that I would not leave this story be until I finish it. Sadly, I cannot guarantee the story structure or quality to be up to par because throughout this year, I have been experiencing a very bad case of writer's block, although it's not so much as writer's block but partially because it is loss of inspiration. I have tried to keep my inspiration going so I can finish this story, but when you lose something as valuable as that, it becomes very hard to get back again. But I want to finish this story because I know that this is truly a masterpiece, albeit a little plain in sentence structure and grammar. I truly want people to see my vision of what could have happened. That's why, an hour late, I have decided to upload this chapter as a first year anniversary to the very first chapter of this story. It has been a year since I started it and I plan to finish the entire thing by the end of this year. Please don't lose faith in me. :) **

**Also, if you could review my story, that would be lovely. The more reviews the merrier. Be safe everyone.**

**One last thing, if you didn't understand how dreams work then quickly read this. Everyone should know that you can't control yourself or what you do in your dreams. You are just thrown into it while basically throwing caution into the wind. This is also why Konan is so accepting of receiving a kiss from Naruto in the dream. We all know that it would be impossible for her to want to do that in real life unless she really had no control over it. You lose all of your insecurities in your dreams. That's why it played out as it did. **

**Next Chapter- Chapter 13: Rivalries Pt. 2**


	13. Chapter 13: Rivalries Pt 2

**Thoughts: **'Thoughts'

**Speaking: **"Speaking"

Revised: July 5th, 2013

**Chapter 13: Rivalries Pt. 2**

"That's all a LIE!" Naruto threw his hands to the bars and gripped them until his knuckles were white with strain, "Sasuke would NEVER want to be that way. You brainwashed him!"

"Oh? Are you sure there weren't any tell-tale signs of his hatred? I'm pretty sure he's always felt that way after the death of his clan," Tobi just shook his head, "Naruto, when will you ever learn that it's not all about you. Sasuke chose his path and therefore, he will walk it despite whatever you tell him. Your depiction of this Uchiha is far off than you have ever believed. All you are speaking is only what a child would believe."

"You shut your mouth you bastard!"

Naruto twisted his gaze to the paper angel. The glaze over her eyes and the sheer distaste that showed from her mouth could only prove of malice that never washed away, no matter how many days that passed her by. The memories haunted her and her regret has only further pushed her to her mental limits. This was the look of a warrior, a person raised on the means to survive. The memories of what she was before she joined Naruto and his village came rushing back to the orange haired Genin and for a moment… there was a time that he believed that maybe things would have been different had he not saved her, "What gives you the right to decide what the Uchiha wants to believe?" Konan replied in monotone, "I can guarantee that you have something to do with the Uchiha's change of heart. Just as you changed Nagato… or better yet, how you played with their emotions to gain an advantage in your sick twisted plan. I know all about it… _Madara_."

Tobi was amused at this woman's constant interference. Perturbed for a split second, the feeling faded as quickly as it came. However, through his musing, he was entertained by Konan's interruption, _'Interesting…'_

"I didn't do anything. I only spoke the truth and let him decide on his own. Nagato was treated the same way and made up his own mind as well. He just decided on a way that benefits my plan," He replied smugly. Although, he already knew that he instigated their decisions, however minor his notions were. He couldn't have them changing their minds now could he? Not possible.

"I didn't even have to do anything to Nagato anyway. In the end, he was a fool… Although, it's not as if it really matters. He's dead, or did it just slip your mind? I could just say that maybe he was in to my idea from the get go. I could also tell you that there was a moment when he wanted you dead."

Konan flinched in surprise. Nagato wanted her dead? "That… That couldn't be possible! Nagato and I have been friends since we were little. I have never done anything to Nagato to make him hate me as you say," There was a further indention on her brow.

Tobi chuckled in a casual cackle that would only seem darker than anything else, "I suppose you're right. Nagato would never be so evil as to do something that would harm his precious person. In reality, he was too weak to even realize his own faults… calling himself a god. He even had the Kyuubi within his reach and he let him slip by just from a simple conversation. Actually, this would make Naruto the one who killed Nagato."

Konan began to ruffle her papers on her skin. They slowly began to peel off and flitter through the sky in a violent tornado. She didn't like this man's constant lies. Everything that masked man spouted was becoming more and more unbearable to hear. She couldn't understand it. Why was he causing so much pain to everyone? A fire erupted in her belly as his words churned in chaos within her mind. She turned to look at Naruto who was staring at her in concern. A piercing cold flame sparked within her eyes that would put villains to shame. She was exhausted from the fabrications. The man who started it all was right in front of her. She would make it quick and simple to end this cycle with this man here. It's the only way the world will be at peace.

"No. No! I won't hear it! Nagato passed on his will for peace to Naruto! I won't let you sully his name!" Konan's papers peeled with flittering sound that crackled throughout the sky and swirled in a vortex of white blurs. Her thoughts were clouded and left her thinking on one thing. To kill. Her anger filled her senses. It was as if she was falling into an abyss with no way to fly and break free. She was actually losing control of herself. This was completely different from the Konan weeks before.

Tap…

Her eyes darted to the unusual weight on her form, then followed the arm to Naruto's face who continued giving her that same look. Naruto's hand found its way to her shoulder. He was silently urging her to stop. She gasped as his touch developed a feeling of warmth through her Jounin vest. A different warmth than just a simple form of heat. She then felt… clarity. She remembered that forgiving is the best way to find a peace of mind. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as an internal battle fought within her mind. She couldn't forget Nagato's words and his sudden change and how easily he put his trust into Naruto. Clenching her eyes shut as the papers slowly flew back to her form, she hung her head low as she found melancholy curiosity to the ground full of snow.

"That's right. There was nothing that you could do to stop this from happening to your friend… or to your love," Tobi replied nonchalantly to her, "Now all you have are feelings of regret and wishes of what you could have done. Unfortunately, this world is cruel. It's a shame though, you should have followed in their footsteps where you could be joined together again. Then you wouldn't still have to suffer another day in this wretched wasteland," The masked man twirled his hand around, signaling everything around them, "No one has ever survived my Genjutsu. It is only a mystery to how you survived that attack."

'_More like a miracle…' _Konan thought quietly.

"I think I've heard enough," Kakashi soon intervened. As interesting as the spat between the two ninja was, there were other things that needed to be found out that were more important, "I want to know why you are collecting the Bijuu. What's your true reason?"

"Ah, getting back on topic, are we?" Tobi replied sarcastically, "Well, if I were to choose a reason… it would be to become a complete form."

The mood fell to a darker shade from his response, "A… complete form? What do you mean?" Kakashi asked curiously.

Tobi shook his head, "It would be pointless to tell you all. Maybe I will tell under better circumstances. It was a quite nice chat for now, but until then… Later," A vortex appeared swallowing the man whole until he disappeared into nothingness, leaving an open gap in the Mokuton technique.

After a few moments, the tension died and everyone could feel the release. Konan sighed and lowered her head further, _'Madara… I hate that man…'_

"Konan-chan," Naruto asked as he walked up to her, "Are you alright?" He could feel the stress coming off of his team mate in fluctuating vibes. She was troubled but he didn't know what was exactly on her mind.

The woman sniffed and wiped her eyes with her thumbs, "Yes, everything's fine. I just… overreacted,"

She knew her actions were strange. It looked as if she might have to train herself to control her emotions again. That certainly won't be a walk in the park because her emotions were so well tamed, and it didn't come difficult because she grew to live that way. Before she met Naruto, it was so easy to solve that minor emotional stir, but even she didn't realize just how much it was a change for her. What she just did could have been a costly mistake on her part that would have injured Naruto or any other Leaf Shinobi that was around. Why she was acting that way, she couldn't quite figure that out. It only left her pondering over her reaction.

xxx

"Look at my cabin!" An angry person yelled.

Kakashi and Yamato both looked at the man. He was the owner of the cabins and looked like a fish out of water at the destruction of his beautiful property or so he claimed it to be.

"I'm sorry," Yamato replied with a sweat, "I'll fix it. I promise."

"You're damn right you will. I mean, look at it! It's a mess! Agh, I just can't stand shinobi!" He cried while looking at the massive hole in his beloved cabin.

Kakashi could only sigh and gaze his lone eye to the top of the cabin, where Naruto and Konan sat up there together. It was becoming ever more intriguing to watch their strange relationship from afar and he could very well admit that something has changed within the last few days since their departure. _'Could they be… nah. That kind of thing would never happen. But wouldn't it be pretty exciting if it did?'_ Kakashi felt the need to grab a small notebook from within his back pouch and began scribbling something that would make either in question pale… or blush? _'I think I might continue your passion… Jiraiya-sama.'_

Neither one of them uttered a peep. Lost in their thoughts that were floating and spinning through their minds from moments before, they sat in silence side by side. Konan was replaying what Madara kept telling her. His words were filling her head and driving her to insanity. None of what he said could have been the truth could it? No… It's not possible. She knew the truth. Words from an untrustworthy man were not valid. She can't believe those things he was spouting off, although, she couldn't help but review her life trauma's.

Naruto thought in silence. He just can't believe that Sasuke would actually choose that path. Why? Then again… He wanted strength. Like Madara said, Sasuke wanted strength that he felt he couldn't get from anything else but darkness. It was such a terrible and lonely way to get power but Naruto thought about it. If he didn't have anyone there for him, he would have most likely done the same thing. Maybe in another dimension? He sighed in defeat. He should probably think on it later. His mind couldn't really handle all of the stress.

He gazed in Konan's direction and felt astonished from her subconscious action. She usually tried to run away to her lonesome whenever she had problems but here she sat, together with him and thinking to herself, _'She is most likely thinking about what Madara said about Nagato,'_ He wondered. It just didn't seem right to him. He clearly knew that Nagato wasn't lying before he died. If he was, then he was doing a really good job. That would most likely mean that Madara was the biggest compulsive liar he has ever known. Naruto knew the truth, but he started thinking that maybe Konan didn't exactly have an answer for everything.

"Hey… Konan-chan…"

"Hmm?" She replied distantly with her sight never leaving the snow on the roof.

"Don't think too much about what Madara said, okay?" He replied, snapping her head immediately to his direction, "It's just that… well… We both know that Nagato didn't do anything wrong. He just lost his way. Just… Don't believe any of it! Nagato wants us to continue on the right path! We can't let anything get in our way! Including lies that that bastard says…" Naruto answered a little more somber in his last statement.

Konan looked on with wide eyes as her glare was reciprocated. Naruto is actually the one telling her to not worry? Isn't she supposed to be the one that gives life lessons to Naruto instead? _'I've come a long way since we first met, haven't I?'_ A slow, miniature smile of sadness etched its way on her face before she sighed, "I suppose you're right. His words have nothing to back them. It's merely talk. I should have remembered that from the beginning… I… I'm sorry," She rested her head on her hand as she sat there in a hurricane of thoughts. It was a genuine apology and Naruto knew that it was, but he didn't think that Konan should have apologized. She was just being too hard on herself.

"Look," Naruto replied while scooting closer to Konan and placing his hand on her shoulder, "You have nothing to apologize for. Take it easy. Relax. This is just something to get in our way. Just think of it as a small misfortune that's trying it's best to stop us."

Konan looked over in slight amusement and a glint in her eye, "Since when did you become so mature?"

He laughed and started scratching the back of his head, "I don't really know. It just sorta came out," He stopped and looked at her, "But still, it's okay. We'll get through this. I will make sure that we succeed."

She gave a soft smile to Naruto and his sweet innocence. She really enjoyed that upbeat attitude in her life. _'I would have really needed someone like you when I was younger…_' Before she could finish her thoughts, something caught her eye and she looked down to Kakashi who was signaling them, "Hey, Naruto. You need to come down."

The orange haired boy stared at Kakashi who was pointing to several figures walking up in haste, "Sakura, Sai, Kiba, and even Bushy-brows? What are you all doing here?"

Sakura breathed a sigh and looked to Naruto with a determination in her eyes, "Naruto, we need to talk."

Xxx

"Huh? What did you say Sakura-chan? I don't think I heard you correctly. Can you say it again?" Naruto stood dumbfounded as he stared at his pinkette team mate.

"Naruto, I said… I love you," She replied with a tinge of red on her cheeks.

All of the spectators, including both parties were looking on in interest and surprise. Lee looked as if he couldn't believe it. Kakashi's lone eye gazed curiously at the new development. Yamato looked ridiculous. Sai and Kiba kept silent. Konan however, lowered her eyelids slightly. Her face fell into a partial frown as she watched the two interact with each other.

"Sasuke doesn't even mean anything to me anymore, Naruto," Sakura stated with her eyes diverted to the side, "I was completely at fault to ever like him anyway. Just listen to me better while I'm making my confession."

Naruto stared in shock at it all. Never in a million years would he expect Sakura to just openly decide that she likes him. In his dreams, maybe, but in real life it was just impossible and he knew it. That thought changed his ideas and he no longer felt the shock anymore, only confusion. His face held a seriousness to it that was all too different from a moment ago and it gave him an unusual air, "But why here? Why now? I don't think this is funny Sakura. Cut the crap. What are you up to?"

Sakura stifled a gasp at his stare and this new tone that he added in his words. It seemed a little colder than usual, "What do you mean Naruto? Nothing's going on. I just finally woke up and realized that I can't continue loving a rogue shinobi. I'm not a child, you know. I can tell the difference between fantasy and reality," Her smile widened as she gave a grin with closed eyes, "Now that we're done with that, you don't have to worry about that promise you made to me. You can stop chasing after Sasuke."

Naruto flinched at that last part and Konan noticed all too quickly. Reacting to all of this, the paper angel forced herself between the two team members, completely surprising both parties. Yamato began to object, only to have Kakashi hold him back, curious as to what Konan had to say.

"Uhm, excuse me Konan-san, but I have to continue to talk to Naruto," Sakura started as she barely arched her eyebrows in confusion and anger.

"I can't allow you to talk to Naruto any longer," Konan said aggressively, earning a questioning look from both Sakura and Naruto, "Your '_confession'_ is causing Naruto a great deal of pain and confusion. I can only ask that you leave here at once. I will not stand aside and let you talk to him as if he is simple minded."

Sakura quickly ended her façade as she stared at Konan intensely, one could hear gloves slowly wrinkling underneath the pinkettes winter robe, "W-What? I don't talk to him like he's simple minded."

"Do you really think that Naruto is that much of a fool to believe that you would fall in love with him on a whim?"

"Why do **you** care?" Sakura asked, staring daggers into Konan's own eyes, "All you want is for Naruto to see your way. We all know what you are doing."

Konan's eyes widened at her statement. She was still going on about that? "I'm doing nothing of the sort."

"Really?" Sakura said smugly, "Ever since you appeared, Naruto has been changing. He's not the same blond-headed knucklehead that I used to know! He's become colder and his hair has even become orange. Isn't it a coincidence that his hair would turn the same colour that Pain's hair was?" Konan was still in denial about Naruto's hair colour. She was still trying to cope with that fact and Sakura wasn't making it better, "All he ever talks about is Konan this and Konan that. I don't entirely understand it. You were the enemy. Why are you even here? Why did you change Naruto so much?" Sakura shook her head in disbelief, "Well, I guess when you hang around a cold bitch long enough, you turn colder your-"

*Slap!*

Everyone's eyes widened exponentially as they saw Konan's hand glide across Sakura's face, making the pink haired girl falter slightly and wince from the pain. It took the girl a moment but she looked up and saw Konan with anger and sadness etched on her face, "You have no right saying such things about me. How dare you? I've been nice this entire time and you've only slandered about me. You haven't once given me an opportunity to prove my truth and trustworthiness. It would be in your best interest if you just left Naruto and myself alone. I think we've both had enough of your lies."

"Y-You bitch! I'm not even the one that's lying! You've been lying to Naruto th-"

"Sakura!"

She turned her head and saw Naruto with a fierce look contorted in his features. She went wide eyed as she turned a shade of white that was similar to the colour of a hospital blanket. She never saw Naruto this angry, especially if it was directed at her. He didn't even add the _chan_ suffix at the end of her name. What _was_ this Naruto? "Naruto… You don't mean-"

"I think it's time that you take your leave, Sakura," Naruto replied through grinding teeth, "I don't like what you're saying about Konan-chan. You don't know anything about her and she is right. You've only said bad things about her and put her down the entire time. There's nothing more you can say," With that, he left the scene fuming and Konan, who looked over and saw his reaction, followed in silence. Their footsteps dissipated as Sakura struggled to find words that would bring Naruto back to her.

Sakura looked over to Kakashi and Yamato and gave them a silent plea for help. They only shook their heads as the grey haired jounin spoke up, "Sakura, You know very well that Konan-san is doing her best to become part of the Leaf village. She is right when she said that you haven't given her a chance."

Sakura looked back to Konan who was talking to Naruto quietly but sadly and then back at Kakashi, "You don't actually believe that Konan is on our side do you?"

"I can't be entirely confident about that, but my opinions do not matter at this point," Kakashi spoke as the girl softened her facial features, "But she does have the support from Tsunade-sama and she has also been tested and interrogated. Basically, there is no evidence that claims she will turn Naruto or stray him. She actually wants to help, Sakura. Maybe you should try and trust her?"

Sakura didn't know that she was tested. She fell silent as she got lost in her thoughts. Could all of her assumptions be false after all? Naruto's hair turning orange is actually a coincidence? _'Could Naruto be acting cold… because of me? Maybe he hasn't changed at all… Maybe I've been the one that has changed… I guess I have no choice. I will kill Sasuke myself and fix this mess.'_

"Come on, Sai, Kiba, and Lee!" Sakura shouted to the others as she turned her heel and went the opposite direction. She couldn't help but feel like she was to blame for Naruto's attitude towards her. She couldn't handle his cold stare. It was the death of her to see the brightest glowing person that she knew to turn so cold, dark, and callous. She has to fix this, even if it kills her. A lone tear fell from her eye as she tried to staunch the feelings from erupting forth, _'I'm so sorry Naruto…'_

Naruto watched his team mate turn and leave and he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of Sakura's actions. How could she say such cruel things about Konan? He only shook his head as he turned back to the blue haired woman that was looking at him in return. There was some type of emotion that could be seen within her softened amber eyes, but it looked like she was restraining herself more than standing still.

Konan sighed as she looked at the orange haired boy in sadness, "You didn't have to do that. I could have handled it myself."

"I couldn't just let her talk about you like that Konan-chan. Someone has to stand up for you. You don't always have to do things alone. Okay?" He smiled softly after the last part.

She gazed into his eyes and saw that same warmth she saw several times before. She couldn't help but curve her lips upward from his infectious grin. It always did that to her, but she didn't mind it. It actually calmed her whenever her emotions began to take shape. During this moment, something warm enveloped her heart and she could only feel the urge to hug Naruto, but her restraint was quite heavy. She couldn't be doing these things in front of the other ninja, they would think that something was going on. She pushed the feeling down before she sighed with her unknowingly cute smile.

"…Okay… Naruto-kun."

"Naruto-san."

The boy in question turned his head and saw Sai standing in front of them. He held a serious manner, "What are you doing here Sai?"

"I came here to tell you the real reason why Sakura-san came here to you," Sai replied urgently.

Naruto was right. There was another reason why Sakura came here besides making that "Confession". Sakura really was trying to do something else, "What? What real reason?"

**AUTHOR NOTE: Well, I'm gonna cut it here. WOAH! Where've I been!? I went missing! Holy crap! Actually, remember those life problems I was talking about. Yeah, well, they've torn my life down and in a dramatic fashion. I've been building my life back up, one block at a time and this is one of my many steps to recovery. I've been meaning to get back on here and continue. It's just that I couldn't continue it when I fell into my depression. I didn't want to do anything and I became numb to life. It's a horrid experience. Please forgive me for my absence. But like I've repeated many times again and again, I am continuing this story no matter what. I said I wouldn't give up because I thought this story held a truly wonderful ending. Just please be patient. I'm doing the best I can. Everyone can already tell that things are changing and something is completely being set up for something truly spectacular. I still can't guarantee how many chapters it will take. **

**At the beginning of this chapter, I couldn't write out that entire trip about why Sasuke chose his path. Believe me, everyone already knows, so I just skipped it. I just couldn't write it. Haha.**

**Anyway, Read and Review please. I read every response and answer any questions. Be safe everyone. **

**Author note 7/5/13: Yeah, I know it was a really mechanical chapter before this revised version. Many people were displeased with it so I went back and fixed my chapter. I spruced it up quite a bit and I think it came out a lot better than it was before. **

**Next chapter: Chapter 14- Deception**


	14. Chapter 14: Deception

**Thoughts:** _'Thoughts'_

**Speaking: ** "Speaking"

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**Chapter 14: Deception**

"I can understand why Sakura doesn't want to tell you the truth," Sai spoke with his eyes never leaving the orange Jinchuuriki. He came back to tell Naruto the truth, even if Sakura didn't want him to. Naruto had to be told. It would help their current predicament and for some reason, Sai felt it was better that they returned to their previous attitudes towards each other.

"Well… Tell me," Naruto asked with confusion. He didn't know why Sakura came out in the blue and asked him something like that. It was like she was toying with his emotions. How could she do something so mean? She even called Konan a _bitch_. That was really uncalled for and it was only a reminder to how Konan has been mistreated since she was in the village.

"All of your friends want to kill Sasuke themselves."

Naruto's eyes widened. Actually he was almost speechless. He couldn't believe it. They wanted to kill Sasuke? Naruto's goal was to bring his friend back, but they didn't want him to do that anymore? "So…" Naruto started with his eyes lowered to the snow, "Did Sakura agree to this? I don't think that she'd want them killing Sasuke, especially since he's her first love ya know."

Sai looked solemnly but with conviction to Naruto. He could definitely tell that something was different about his comrade, "Sasuke will do nothing but bring this world to an end full of hatred. If he lives, then Sasuke will most likely start another war," He kept talking, but Naruto never let his eyes stray from the ground. He wasn't looking Sai in the eye, "He's a criminal Naruto. Just another criminal that is aligned with Akatsuki, which gives him no sympathy points from Konoha ever since the Akatsuki invasion."

Konan who walked up behind the both of them frowned as she heard that last bit. She doesn't really know why she walked up to them, but what she overheard when she walked up left her wanting to stay. She kept quiet while she heard what was being said between the two.

"Sakura isn't blind," Sai continued, "She isn't a child anymore and she knows now the difference. That's why she came out here to tell you all of this."

"She should have just said it…" Naruto replied sullen. Naruto just couldn't believe all of this.

"It wouldn't have been that easy," Kakashi spoke up, "She knew it would tear you up inside."

"She thought that if she confessed and said that she loved you, that she would release you from that burden of bringing Sasuke back," Sai said calmly, "But even though she said those things, you still said that you wanted to bring Sasuke back anyway… Maybe that's why she didn't tell you the truth?"

Naruto stood there silently. It was really hard to take all of this stuff in. How could Sakura just not come up and tell him directly? He would have understood. If his friends wanted to kill Sasuke then he wouldn't have a problem with it. _'Wait a minute… Where did that thought come from?'_ He clutched his head with his left hand in confusion. It was turning out to be quite a massive headache and he felt a real one coming in as well.

"But she was just thinking about Naruto's feelings wasn't she?"

Sai looked up and saw Konan who stood side by side with Naruto. Nodding slowly he continued, "Yes and I also believe that she-"

"…Knew what he was going to say. Right?" Konan asked a little more forward while taking a quick glance at Naruto and looking back to the talking boy.

"…Right," Sai replied with a little unease. He began to feel uncomfortable talking about this matter, "Sakura told us not to tell anyone, especially Naruto about her plan. She said that it was her duty to do this."

"I don't think Sakura was ever intending to tell Naruto the truth," Konan replied with an instant realization, "I have a feeling that she may have wanted to kill Sasuke herself."

Naruto shot his stare immediately to Konan. He paled as he thought about what she just said.

"What!? Is that true!?" Yamato asked in shock.

"I-It's quite likely," Sai answered with a sweat, "Sakura smiled at me and said that she would work together with everyone else but I could tell that her smile wasn't true."

"She must… love Sasuke so much that she'd… kill Sasuke just to save him," Naruto replied woefully. His voice cracked with every syllable he spoke.

"I… I believe so," Sai answered softly, "She's also prepared herself for your resentment. She feels as if it's a punishment for putting such a heavy promise on your shoulders."

Naruto and the gang sat in silence for a few moments after Sai said those last words. Everyone was waiting on Naruto's response. Konan didn't want to interfere more than she already did, but she did feel sympathy for the pain that Naruto was going through.

"Sai," Naruto finally spoke quietly. His eyes slowly found their way to Sai's as he continued, "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because it was partly my fault for Sakura coming to you like this. I can't leave Sakura alone either because I'm a member of Team Seven now."

Naruto could only sit there and think. His thoughts were completely scattered. Although, at the same time, they were organized and he knew that he had to make a choice. His head started pounding with a headache. It only got worse from all of this news. It was almost as if he couldn't take it.

Just then a group of three jumped to the scene. One of three started to speak. Her tone was mature and straight to the point. It was Temari and her two brothers. "We're here to relay the information of what happened at the Gokage Summit."

Xxx

"Alright, so first we will deliver the news of the Gokage Summit to Konoha. I'll use my Nin-dogs to get the information there quickly," Kakashi ordered confidently, "Yamato, I want you to take Naruto and Konan back to the village. I'm going to fetch Sakura with Sai here. She is no match for the Uchiha. It's only a deathwish. It's my duty as her teacher to bring her back."

Yamato nodded his head as he watched Naruto and Konan interact with each other. Now that he thought about it, they were always together now. For some reason, he would notice Konan around Naruto more often. He couldn't really place his finger on why, but at least something good is coming from the both of them being around each other. Maybe Naruto will truly get to this Akatsuki member after all? He snorted as he looked back to Kakashi, "Understood."

"Alright," Kakashi answered, "Sai, lead me to Sakura."

Sai agreed and dashed away with Kakashi trailing behind. The echo of feet trampling on the ground and tree branches slowly faded away as the duo left, leaving only Naruto, Konan and Yamato.

Naruto started relaying on everything that was said and still his head was hurting. It kept pulsing and he had to staunch his headache. He winced and put his hands to his head in an attempt to keep it from piercing his senses but it was getting hard. He started making groans as he walked slowly with Yamato. It didn't take long before Konan saw his distress.

"Naruto-kun, what's wrong?" Konan asked in haste. Naruto kept groaning and his groans of pain only got even louder as Konan eyed her team mate, "Yamato-san, I think something is wrong with Naruto-kun."

The Captain stopped as he turned around. He looked at Naruto and saw his distress, "Naruto, what's going on? Are you alright?"

"I think we should stay in the cabin for just a while longer," Konan brought up quickly. She didn't like to see Naruto this way and from the way he was looking, it didn't seem like he was getting any better, "At least until Naruto is able to get rid of this pain that he is experiencing. I think maybe today's events have caught up with him."

Yamato weighed his options. He couldn't really do with an incapacitated Naruto on the trip back home. After contemplating momentarily, he agreed to the idea. Breathing a sigh he answered, "Fine, but we can't stay for too much longer. We have to get back to Konoha. It's dangerous out here."

Konan breathed a sigh of relief as she put an arm around Naruto's shoulder to help support him and guide him back to the cabin. He had his eyes shut the entire time, so he wasn't watching where he was going, but the woman decided that she would be his eyes for the meantime.

Xxx

Naruto shot out of bed in a cold sweat. His limbs felt heavy and he felt disoriented, "W-Where am I?" He asked in a moan.

Konan and Yamato looked over to him and noticed his stir. Konan smiled as she spoke, "We're back at the cabin. You were complaining about your head and once we laid you down, you fell asleep and haven't moved since."

He scanned the area and noticed that he was indeed inside the same cabin again, although it was fixed by Yamato of course.

"You worried us Naruto. We didn't know what was happening with you," Yamato told the orange haired boy with a sigh.

"Well, where's Kakashi-sensei and Sai?"

"Kakashi left while you were thinking to yourself," Konan said slightly concerned, "Don't you remember? You were there."

Naruto sat there quietly as he processed that information. He was a little slow after he woke up so it was only natural he'd be silent. He scratched the back of his head and looked to Konan in a tired demeanor, "Yeah… I sorta remember it. My head was hurting too bad though and I couldn't really concentrate."

"Anyway, now that you feel better, I think we should continue on our trek back to the Leaf Village. I was given direct orders to take you home," Yamato told Naruto in a demanding tone.

Naruto stared at the man incredulously. He held a pout on his face before he slumped back over into his bed and encased himself within the covers. He still couldn't go back to Konoha. He had to get to Sakura. He couldn't leave her there to go after Sasuke. Even though he told her to leave and he was mad about Konan being so disrespected, Sakura was still his friend and it really pained him when he found out the truth of her coming to meet him, "I don't think I feel well enough yet. Please let me rest a while longer."

"Naruto, I don't think you understand the importance of bringing you back to Konoha," Yamato told the orange haired genin, "We are wasting valuable time and it could prove to be dangerous. Just plea-"

"Yamato-san…"The man in question looked over to Konan who was looking at the man, "Let me talk to him. I think the words I tell him will get to him better."

Yamato questioned her sudden interruption, but agreed nonetheless, "Alright, but please just help him understand what's going on. He shouldn't act like a child anymore."

The woman nodded her head and held a serious façade on her face while she gazed at the covers that were shielding Naruto from the two person audience.

Naruto-kun," Konan said with a sternness to her voice, "May I have a word with you please? It will only take a moment."

He only groaned, but he didn't move from his spot. She sighed as she pulled on the covers quickly, prying them off completely. Naruto rose up in his bed as he glared at Konan, "Konan-chan, what the hell are doing?!"

"If I may have a word with you _Uzumaki-san_," Konan said with a sharp tongue and lowered eyelids. His last name just spewed from Konan's mouth like venom, "You only have five seconds to step outside."

He paled as he heard this entirely different side of the woman. Where did she learn to speak like that? It wasn't like the nice and gentle Konan that he's been used to listening to. He exhaled loudly, before he went to the door. He didn't want to piss Konan off any more than he already did. She was scary whenever she wanted to be. Konan's face didn't falter as she stepped outside with Naruto. She looked back to Yamato who seemed a little surprised and sweat at this woman's raw sense of malice.

"It will only take us a moment."

Yamato nodded as she closed the door behind her. After a few moments, he let go a breath he didn't realize he was holding, "…Yeah… Women are scary."

After the door closed behind them, Naruto sat there in silence. He was expecting everything. Mainly the third degree of how he was acting like a child. He kept his back turned to her so he didn't realize what was going on. He could feel her presence behind him and he closed his eyes, waiting on a scream or getting hit. What he didn't expect however, was when Konan wrapped both of her arms from behind him and embraced him softly. Her chin was on his left shoulder as she breathed softly into his ear. He could only shudder and blush at this sudden action.

"K-Konan-chan, what are you d-"

"Shhhhh," Konan shushed the boy as she continued to give him this comfort. The orange haired genin could only gulp as he blushed harder and remained speechless.

She sat there silently as she hugged the boy in front of her. She didn't really know what to do whenever she brought him out here, but she felt that something was truly troubling Naruto. She figured that she could return a hug, just as he did for her. She realized that sometimes people just need hugs. A moment or so later, Naruto softened up and relaxed as they stayed in this embrace. He did want a hug and the feeling was well needed. A few minutes passed as Konan released the embrace much to her and Naruto's displeasure. That feeling was really comfortable but there were more pressing matters to worry about.

"Now… Naruto-kun," Replied Konan as she looked him in the eye and held her hands on his shoulders, "What is wrong?"

Naruto returned her stare and then looked to the ground as he started talking. At first the words were hard to say, but he figured he could trust Konan enough to know his deep thoughts, "I just… I feel like I should help Sakura with Sasuke. She doesn't have to do it on her own. I even told her myself that I would take on Sasuke myself."

Konan looked at him momentarily before speaking, "But if you do it, then you're only doing it alone too."

"I know. I realized that now," Naruto replied solemnly before looking back at the paper user, "That's why I want to help Sakura and do it together. He's our friend so it should be the both of us. Not just Sakura alone."

Konan thought about what he said and shifted her body, "What makes you so confident that Sasuke will come back to Konoha?"

"He's not coming back to Konoha…"

The woman looked over to Naruto in astonishment, "What do you mean? I thought you wanted him to come back to Konoha and you were going to bring him back to Konoha no matter what?"

Naruto grunted as he looked away into the trees, "I've been thinking. Maybe I shouldn't hold on to this ideal of bringing Sasuke back. He's only been thinking about himself and hasn't changed, no matter what I told him," He kicked a little of the snow on the ground as he continued, "But… I want to make sure that he absolutely doesn't want to come back. I have to talk to him one last time before I make up my mind."

"So this was also part of the reason why you wanted to follow Sakura?"

"Yes," Naruto finished as he breathed in and put his hands in his pockets.

Konan contemplated momentarily as she stared at the Uzumaki. He seemed a lot more focused than before and she was curious, _'Naruto… You really have matured.'_

"I'll help you."

Naruto shot his eyesight to her, "Y-You will?"

"Yes, I will help you with Sakura and Sasuke. I really think that you should do this and get your final resolve. It's never good to leave feelings unfinished," She replied while glancing over to him and back to the cabin, "But we may have to set-up a plan to get us out of here. We can't have Yamato-san knowing of our departure."

"Yeah, you're right," Naruto replied. After rubbing his chin, he came up with a simple idea, "Alright, Let's…"

Xxx

Konan and Naruto walked back inside the cabin, disturbing an almost sleeping Yamato fully awake again, _'They could have just left without even creating us,'_ Naruto thought as he looked at Yamato in a ridiculous manner.

"I hope you've sorted everything out you two," Yamato replied as he looked at the both of them. They only nodded at him before Naruto started feeling pain again. He began to hold his head again like last time and groaned pretty loudly. Yamato looked on the both of them in worry, "Naruto, are you experiencing that problem again?" He asked as Naruto closed one eye shut and looked at Yamato in a wince, "Yeah… It hurts really bad. I don't know why it's doing this. Could I please just lie down a little longer? I need to close my eyes."

"Oh, uh, sure thing," Yamato replied.

'_Boy is Captain Yamato a sucker.'_ Naruto thought as he continued to fake his pain.

'_It's working so far,' _Konan thought as she looked at the display. Naruto's acting skills were poor, but they were good enough to fool Yamato for the time being, _'I hope they make it in time.'_

Xxx(Somewhere in the Woods)

Naruto grinned as he quickly darted through the trees branches to get to the scene as quickly as possible, "I think we got away with this one pretty easily, Konan-chan. Now we can get there before Sasuke does something to her." He had his Sage mode activated as he tried to find his team mate. His senses were developed really strong whenever he activated that technique. It was truly something that was reliable when he needed it.

Konan had to respect the boy's tenacity to the situation. Getting clones to take over their spot was really easy to do. _'I never realized how quick he was with planning.'_ He just kept surprising her more and more and a small grin formed on her face as she looked at the back of his head, _'I was right to put my trust within you.'_

Xxx

"Sasuke!"

The person in question turned his head and looked up. He lowered his Chidori as he stared at his team mate in disgust, "Sakura…"

The pink haired girl stared at her team mate. Just looking at him gave chills down her spine. He wasn't the same person he was before he left.

"What are you doing here?" Came his question. He didn't look like he wanted to chat. He actually looked like he was ready to kill whatever was in his path and Sakura could very well feel that vibe radiating off of him. She felt scared.

"Sasuke! I've gone rogue from Konoha. I want to join you!"

"But why do you wanna join?" He asked apprehensively, "There's nothing in it for you. What are you trying to do?"

Sakura couldn't let him find out about her plan. She felt that nervous feeling within her stomache while she continued speaking, "I'm not planning anything! Ever since you left Konoha, I've always regretted that I didn't go with you, even to this day."

"Do you even know what I want to do? I want to destroy Konoha." He ended that last statement rather darkly and looked into her eyes just as fiercely, "Could you really leave Konoha just for me?"

"Yes," Sakura gulped, "If that's what you want."

"Then prove it to me by killing this girl," He ordered while pointing his finger towards the collapsed girl on the ground, "She's of no use to me anymore and I can't have her stay alive. If you kill her, then I will believe you. Oh, you're a medic-nin as well right? That's great. It will be a perfect replacement."

Sakura walked slowly up to the girl and Sasuke as she pulled a kunai from her pouch. It poked through her robe as she got ready to attempt and execution. She started shaking as she came closer.

Sasuke noticed it quickly, "What, you can't do it?"

On the inside, Sakura was having a mental battle of will. She felt as if she should just turn around and take on Sasuke right at that moment with her poison laced Kunai.

"Sasuke… Don't.."

Sakura heard the girl on the ground barely breathe out those words but her sense came in quickly as she turned her head and saw Sasuke coming in with a chidori straight to her head. It would have hit if Kakashi hadn't come in on time and stopped Sasuke.

"My Sasuke, how could you get so low?" He asked as he countered Sasuke's Chidori and kicked him away from them.

Sasuke gained his balance and landed on his feet. He didn't like the fact that Kakashi was here but he could relish in the fact that there were two of his former team that he wanted dead.

Xxx

Naruto and Konan were still dashing through the woods. It was a good thing that Konan was an S-Rank ninja, otherwise she would have had a hard time catching up. Naruto was really fast. Unfortunately, Naruto was too much into his own thoughts that he didn't want to start a conversation. He had to get to Kakashi and Sakura.

Konan looked at Naruto and his determination as he kept up the quick speed. She felt a little sad about his predicament. The guilt still got to her about everything that happened to Naruto's village and she could only feel like part of it was her fault. Hell, a part of it was her fault. She now realized that her debt was far greater than she ever thought before. She was that pawn that easily went along with anything that was done or needed to be done within the Akatsuki. Maybe it was her fault that she didn't realize just how much was truly going on within the Akatsuki and her friends?

How did she become so blind to it all? Did her anger for Yahiko's death only spur her own vengeance? She was supposed to be the level headed person of the trio and she ended up doing the opposite that Yahiko really wanted whenever he started this plan for peace. Everything became twisted after Yahiko died. Nagato was always quiet, but she knew that he was mourning his death every single moment of his life. Konan didn't cry, but she did feel ashamed during those times. She was a ninja. She's not supposed to cry. It's not what a Kunoichi does. Instead she could only feel the pain nag at her but she would shove it down and move on. No matter what it took to maintain that focused mind, she couldn't lose that order. But now, she realized that it's not healthy to keep it bottled up inside. After showing her weakness to Naruto, she realized that she felt so much better and calmer. _'He probably doesn't realize it but… He's already helped me understand.'_

"They're just beyond these trees!" Naruto yelled to Konan, who nodded her head in confirmation. They picked up their pace through the foliage as they whisked through the trees in haste.

"Sasuke! NO!" Was all they heard as they broke out of the branches and arrived on the scene. The sound of metal against skin could be heard as Sasuke swiftly cut into Sakura's throat, completely slicing a perfect line horizontally across her neck. Sakura's eyes widened as she saw what just happened. It was as if everything slowed down to a stop. She couldn't breathe anymore. She clenched her neck tightly as she felt the world spin around her. Blood was pouring from underneath her hands as she silently screamed in agony. Her gurgles could only be described as heart wrenching whenever she fell to her knees and then to the ground, still clinging on to life by a thread.

"SAKURAAAAAAAA!"

Kakashi heard Naruto as he sped with the speed of light towards his crush. Kakashi's eyes widened as what currently happened dawned on him. Sakura got hurt. Badly.

"Naruto! What are you doing here!?"

Naruto landed right beside her and picked her up in his arms. He had to. He loved his team mate. He looked into her face as she lay there. She held her sight to Naruto, but couldn't speak because of the cut. It was too deep. Her eyesight was constantly staring into Naruto's deep blue eyes. She lost that vibrance but she was still trying her best to mouth what she was trying to say. Naruto started sobbing uncontrollably as she laid there in his arms.

"S-Sakura-chan…" He whimpered as he cradled her frail body ever so gently to his own. His tears were falling quickly. There was so much blood.

She weakly and shakily pulled up her arm and touched Naruto's face with her blood stained hand. Tears of her own began to fall gently as she held her hand there. She was trying her best to tell her team mate how stupid she was… to tell him… _'Naruto… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here without you.'_

Naruto could only cry more as her hand left his face and fell beneath her. Her movement slowed to a stop and her eyes dulled.

She wasn't breathing anymore.

Naruto looked at her as her life faded away. He couldn't believe that one of his best friends was dying before his very eyes. He couldn't even save her, "No.. NO! Sakura-chan! No!" He gripped her even tighter as she laid lifeless in his arms.

Kakashi could only stand and watch in shock at what happened. He already knew that it was not possible to survive from a cut like that. It just wasn't possible, even if you were a medic-nin or not, it would take someone like Tsunade or of equal power to revive her and Tsunade was unconscious.

There was no hope.

Konan could understand Naruto's pain really well. Her crush died before her eyes too. She was unable to do anything about it just like Naruto. It was tearing him up on the inside and breaking him apart. She couldn't do anything either as Naruto sat there with the lifeless body in his hands. She looked away in sadness.

Kakashi looked on in sympathy and felt further remorse and regret for being such a bad teacher. Where was he when Sakura needed him? He could only look to Naruto-

"!"His eyes widened exponentially as he gazed over to Naruto, "No, no, this can't be happening now!"

Naruto's body began to seep a red soupy chakra from his skin as it enveloped him and bubbled in form.

**Author note: Rating is now changed to Rated M. Be safe everyone. **

**Next Chapter: Chapter 15- The Unimaginable Truth**


	15. Chapter 15: An Unimaginable Truth

**Thoughts**: _'Thoughts'_

**Speakings: **"Speaking"

**Chapter 15: The Unimaginable Truth**

A deep haze slowly worked its way around Naruto's form. It deepened in colour as Naruto's sobs grew louder in turmoil and anguish. His team mate, Sakura, who he had a crush on for years ever since he started Ninja Acadamy, has died by her own crush's very hands. Such a betrayal that could only leave anyone guessing who would be that cold and heartless to kill their team mate. None other than Sasuke Uchiha who stood proudly after he achieved that kill. A momentary frown was held upon his face before a contorted smirk replaced it. His devilish grin grew wider as he noticed that Sakura wasn't breathing anymore. He chuckled darkly and watched the two closely, mainly Naruto because he knew that Sakura was his favourite person. The one he loved the most...

He noticed that Naruto's aura was slowly expanding with every waking moment. A mere second later, a very bubbly tail began to take shape as Naruto's canines grew. His trademark whisker marks thickened and his eyes opened to reveal something never seen before…

"Oh no," Kakashi thought out loud as he stared in hopelessness, "This isn't good at all. I need to find Yamato and quickly!"

He bit his thumb, threw out a bunch of handsigns and slapped his palm on the ground, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

BOMF!*

"Yeah?" A brown pug asked as he appeared from the smoke.

"Pakkun! I need you to head South about 2 kilometers. Find the cabin with Yamato and bring him here, we need him as soon as possible!"

Pakkun nodded his head as he gazed over to the Genin and deceased female, "I can see the reason for the haste," He woofed and dashed the direction Kakashi had ordered and eventually disappeared from sight.

Naruto started growling as he grew a second tail, his heart was broken. The girl he wanted to be with, one of his best friends, was gone right before his very eyes. His tears eventually turned a darkened orange and began floating from his eyes as his chakra cloak increased. He looked up to see Sasuke who had that same grin plastered across his face.

"That's too bad Naruto," Sasuke replied while folding his arms, "She shouldn't have tried to kill me. Such a weak and pathetic Kunoichi."

At that moment, Naruto snapped.

"GRROOOAAHH!" Naruto bellowed into the sky. His chakra flared massively and it caused a sonic boom to overtake the crowd. The whole audience instinctively pulled up their arms to shield their faces as the wind blew through them, flattening their clothes in front before they flapped loosely in the wind.

Konan could only gasp as she lowered her arm and stared at Naruto. Her concern grew as she saw Naruto's chakra tails swaying furiously in the air, "This chakra… It's… so massive. I'm… almost suffocating at the sheer amount. …this is what the Kyuubi's chakra is like?" She looked at Naruto's eyes and immediately paled. No more did he have soft blue eyes that only shown innocence and Kindness, "He's completed his Rinnegan! Why did his Rinnegan complete itself?" She not only noticed the Rinnegan, she also noticed that Naruto had slits for pupils instead of being circular like they normally were and his Rinnegan was a darkened maroon. His glare was what really left her… shaking? She raised her arms to notice her hands were trembling. Was she really that scared? She hasn't been this disheveled since she was younger and still training with Jiraiya. Before she could dive any further into those memories, she saw Naruto move.

The enraged Jinchuuriki slowly placed the pink haired girl down on the ground before he shot a deadly glare towards Sasuke. The Uchiha didn't seem fazed before he found himself 50 feet into the air. Naruto came by so fast that he couldn't even get a grip as the Sharingan user was launched into the sky and had the air blown out of his lungs.

Sasuke hit the ground with a hard thud and tumbled 100 feet or so before bouncing back on the balls of his feet with dust and rocks erupting everywhere. He coughed violently into his hands and sputtered blood that drizzled down his chin, "D-Damn it," He wheezed as he looked left and right. He couldn't see the orange genin anywhere and that left him watching his surroundings. His deteriorated eyesight didn't make it much better because everything was entirely blurry, _'I shouldn't have used the Mangekyo. Shit."_

He couldn't think any further as Naruto roared towards Sasuke at inhumane speeds and swung his fist into Sasuke's face. The Uchiha felt like his face was being ripped off by the sheer force alone. Naruto combined Shinra Tensei with his Kyuubi strength and it increased the power of his punches. It slung Sasuke back even further and pushed him into the woods where he hit a tree branch. The branch split in half and slowed Sasuke down. He hit a few more branches on his crash course to the forest bottom. After a moment, blurry eyes opened and the ground came into view as Sasuke tried to pull his face from the dirt. He was learning real quick that Naruto was a lot stronger than he thought previously. He couldn't believe it, "How… D-did Naruto get this stro-Uwahh?!"

He felt a pull from his body as he started zooming through the air without his control. He couldn't stop himself and before he realized it, he was now back in the open and gliding ever closer to Naruto's palm. The look on the Jinchuuriki's face was terrifying, but Sasuke didn't show any emotion about it. He just grunted in pain and wound up in Naruto's hand in a death grip to the throat.

Naruto stared into his ex-team mate's eyes as he came face to face with him. There was coldness enveloped deep within those maroon coloured eyes and Sasuke couldn't say anything. That is, until Naruto felt something stab within his chest. The Jinshuuriki looked down and saw that a Chidori was implanted into the boy's body. He glanced back into his hand and noticed that the object he gripped between his fingers was a kawarimi log and saw Sasuke behind him with his hand impaled through his body. Sasuke smirked in victory as Naruto looked stricken in pain.

"Gwooorahhhh!" He roared in agony as the ache in his chest increased evermore. The stab mark was already staunched by the Kyuubi's chakra as Sasuke dodged Naruto's swinging fist. Even though Naruto missed, the Uchiha still got smacked into the air by an unknown force and was tumbling on the ground again through the impact.

"What the hell is that!?" Sasuke asked as he tried to gain his bearing, "Naruto missed his attack so how could he hit me?"

He looked back over to a distorted form of Naruto who began to grow feral. He fell to all fours as his canines grew even sharper and the whiskers even darker. Even Naruto's hair was becoming bolder than it was before, leaving a mahogany sheen from the chakra that continuously erupted around his form. Suddenly, a third tail shot forth from his chakra cloak as it swayed in disarray with the others, "You'll _pay_ for what you did to Sakura-chan," Naruto growled as he stood there on all fours. The malice was apparent on the boy's face. There was nothing else but the thought of death for his male teammate, to rip into bloody pieces all over the ground.

Kakashi couldn't do anything to stop Naruto as he watched the intense fight. It was too dangerous to get in between Naruto and Sasuke as they battled it out. Especially Naruto, whenever the Jinchuuriki uses Kyuubi chakra, he loses all rationality and wreaks havoc on whoever made him angry and anything else that stands in his way. He knew very well that Naruto was going to not hold back once he saw Sakura meet her untimely demise, _'I hope Pakkun reaches Yamato soon! We can't have Naruto lose control and release the kyuubi,' _He glanced over to Konan and noticed she looked a little frightened. She probably felt like she couldn't do anything. He couldn't tell, all he could do was watch on in silence as Naruto grew his third tail, "Huh!?" His eye widened as that tail grew in quickly, _'This is terrible. It grew faster than I thought it would. We have to do something. We can't have his fourth tail emerge!'_

Konan sat in silence, watching in horror as Naruto roared from the top of his lungs. This Naruto was different. He looked like he was in pain and far from being healed. He didn't look complete within himself and he carried this evil aura. The chakra alone was vividly malevolent and the tense atmosphere left her frozen in place, _'I… I can't move… why is…'_ She gasped as she looked at Naruto's destruction. This wasn't like Naruto at all. He was a madman and couldn't be stopped. It was then that she was struck with a memory she suppressed her entire life. A memory long forgotten and dead but still haunted her dreams like a recurring itch…

**Flashback**

_The battlefield was filled to the brim with Ame Shinobi as two Akatsuki members held a standstill with the crowd of overwhelming Amegakure ninja. Both of the Akatsuki members held a defensive stance while staring at the leader of Ame in disgrace. Hanzo the Salamander was grinning through his breathing contraption as he found a weakness to this so called Akatsuki. Since I was an Akatsuki member, I was the first target because I was female. I was bound and held captive by the Ame leader known as Hanzo who wouldn't give in to their demands… So he held a secret plan with Danzo who helped in this little charade. Both of the men wanted this group disposed of and forgotten and what better way than to kill off the head honcho? _

_The leader of the Akatsuki was a young man with orange spiky hair and a mature stature. He wore a black robe and spoke with intelligence. It wasn't every day that someone came across a man like this and it certainly proved why so many wanted this man dead. He understood the meaning behind death and he understood the reason why peace was so difficult. He strived to achieve his masters will for peace and wouldn't let anything stand in his way. That's why he was left in a standstill and an ultimatum. _

_He gazed his tired eyes to me, who was held prisoner up above. I was a woman that he loved very dearly. Someone he couldn't let pass away as easily as this. He looked down and questioned himself, his entire beliefs. He never believed that it would come down to this. This was the final moment where the thoughts of his childhood were in play. He had to become a man and face reality. If he didn't die, then the girl that he fell in love with would perish for his own fears. He couldn't let that happen, but he was too drowned in thought to make an absolute answer. _

_Hanzo decided to spare the man the choice. Hanzo himself knew that he had to finish this ordeal soon, so he gave them a chance. He couldn't have the leader wasting any more time, so he threw a kunai that stuck three feet in front of the Akatsuki leader's team mate. A red headed Uzumaki named Nagato, looked up to the Amekage in question. He wasn't an idiot at all. He instantly figured out that Hanzo was expecting him to kill his best friend. _

"_You," The Salamander stated, "Kill the one next to you and I will let this girl free."_

_I shouted as loud as I could over the rainfall, but I think my pleas fell on deaf ears. I could tell Nagato was afraid. He never knew that it would come down to this. He never knew that he would have to make the choice to kill his friend or let me die. I was so grief stricken. I shouldn't have been so stupid to get myself caught. If I would have thought my actions out a little further, this never would have happened. _

_Before I knew it, I heard a scream of agony and the sound of a kunai piercing a ribcage that filled the air in a sickening crack. I grazed my eyesight over both of my team mates and saw that Yahiko was stabbed in his chest by Nagato. I couldn't understand. I screamed as loud as I could at the pain that I saw fall before me. I heard Hanzo chuckle as he stared at my two team mates in amusement. It was over. My crush… my love, fell before my very eyes and hit the mud in a bloody mess. I felt like weeping and giving up. It tore me apart and scattered the pieces. The person who took care of me… Who helped me become strong, fell lifeless in the cold pouring rain. _

_Nagato stood still as what had happened before his eyes was taken in at once. I could see it in his face, the betrayal, the shock, the realization of it all. He couldn't take it anymore. He changed. I saw this… this look in his eyes that was far beyond reasoning. He roared. Nagato actually roared. It wasn't just some simple battle cry. No… It was a roar of vengeance… a roar of death. _

_He pulled me free from Hanzo's grasp and while lifting me, he didn't know that there were tags placed upon the ground and they tried to keep us held down. Nagato kept me safe at the cost of those tags incinerating his legs. I watched as his legs burned and I couldn't help but feel ashamed because of my faults. Hanzo ordered his men onto Nagato and everyone tried to attack him all at once. He instantly repelled every attack like they weren't even a challenge. _

_Once Nagato placed me on the ground, I could only look up and stare at these new eyes. His cold, dead, Rinnegan. I could see it within his face that he had given up. He told me to watch after Yahiko's body, but I was too distracted by Nagato's anger to focus on the situation. Then, he did something that changed his entire life. Performing the Gedo Statue Summon. It completely made him lose control of himself. I've never seen a man so enthralled with his power. He roared maniacally and was stealing away the souls of Hanzo's henchmen with a simple sweep. I saw him grin with satisfaction at his evil deed. I could only grit my teeth in frustration and look away as I tried to stifle my emotions, 'Nagato… You achieved vengeance. Does it satisfy you? You finally snapped and reciprocated the pain that has fallen upon you. That innocent and quiet young boy turned into a cold killer, just like the ones who took your life away from you. You went so far off track. It took you so long to realize…' Nagato turned to me and I fell breathless as I ended up staring straight into the eyes of a lifeless Naruto Uzumaki._

"-an-san! Konan-san!"

Konan snapped at attention as she looked to see Kakashi standing in front of her and shaking the woman from her daze, "Konan-san! We have to stop Naruto! We can't let Naruto's fourth tail emerge!"

Konan looked around and noticed that indeed, Naruto was still fighting Sasuke. She completely lost track of time as she fell into her memory. Then her thoughts all came crashing down harshly within her mind. She clenched her jaw as she noticed the full scenario, _'Wait a minute. Naruto-kun… Naruto-kun! I can't… I can't-' _With that, she dashed towards the Jinchuuriki and the Uchiha as fast as she could with an unusual look on her face.

"Wait! Konan-san! It's dangerous!" Kakashi yelled to deaf ears. He only sighed as he watched the woman loom closer to the fight, _'Maybe you can do something. I can only hope.'_

Naruto and Sasuke both held a staring contest as the wind settled between them. The ferocity of the fight was pretty spectacular. Sasuke knew that Naruto got stronger but he didn't think it was that much of an increase, _'And since when did he gain the Rinnegan?'_ He was more perturbed at the fact that Naruto was stronger than him more than he was about anything else. He spit more of his blood to the ground as he watched Naruto stand up on both of his legs. Naruto's face was darkened in hatred as he leered upon the traitor Uchiha. His chakra cloak warbled with intensity as it darkened its red hues. He growled violently as his gaze sharpened in distaste, "_**I'm going to end this, you mother fucker**_!"

Sasuke stood in silence and emotionless to Naruto's taunts, never breaking blurry eye contact away from the Genin's hate filled Rinnegan. Shortly after, Naruto went on all fours as he dashed towards Sasuke. The Uchiha prepared as he fell into a defensive stance. He really wasn't in the best shape to have a full on fight with Naruto, he had to save his energy the best that he could. Naruto disappeared halfway and left Sasuke widening his eyes. Not a split second after, Naruto stuck a knee to the back of Sasuke's head and sent the boy flying through the air yet again. Before he could hit the ground, Zetsu bounced out of Sasuke's body and cushioned his fall before he hit his head, "Alright, I should intervene now," Zetsu replied with a sigh.

Sasuke picked himself up and looked at Zetsu in anger, "Where did you come from and why didn't you come sooner?"

Zetsu looked at the Jinchuuriki before he turned to Sasuke, "I was sent to watch over you for things like this to keep from happening. I'll relay the information to Madara," After that, the white man phased through the ground and left Sasuke momentarily to handle his problem until Madara returned to the sight. It wouldn't take long at all, but that meant Sasuke still had to stall for a few minutes.

Not many things were on the Uchiha's mind, although he knew that there were plenty on the rabid Jinchuuriki's mind, but Sasuke did sweat a little from the instability of his ex-friend. He had to watch what he said, otherwise he would really get killed in his weakened state.

"Why are you making such a big deal about Sakura!? She wasn't even that great of a kunoichi! But thanks to me we won't have to worry about that anymore. Now I can finally have peace," Sasuke said as he glared with tired eyes at Naruto.

"_**Shut up! Just SHADDUP!" **_Naruto roared as he gripped his head in rage. He was beginning to lose his sanity and the very core thoughts that made him who he was. He was losing it all. The only thought in his mind was to annihilate. Destroy. Crush. Exterminate. Kill.

Something started bubbling on his chakra cloak as he bellowed in a demonic voice. A fourth tail began to emerge from his cloak as the chakra began to confine and seep into his skin. His growl was deepening and making his cry from earlier seem like nothing but a cat's mew.

Naruto was beginning to fall on all fours whenever something grabbed him from behind and gripped him tightly. The Jinchuuriki screamed as he felt weighed down by something. He quickly tried to get this thing off of him as he tried to pull it apart from him. The thing wouldn't let go as it held on for dear life and it only enraged the monster.

"Naruto-kun!" the person yelled as she held on tightly.

The monster roared as he continued to wriggle free. This person was trying to restrain him. To prevent him from killing Sasuke, the one who murdered Sakura in cold blood.

"Naruto-kun… Please…"

Drip*

Naruto froze in place as he registered a wet feeling hitting his shoulder. All movements ceased and a cackle of breathing could be heard from the Jinchuuriki's mouth. It was almost like he was waiting on the person to continue… or maybe he felt that the person's voice and touch was familiar.

"Please stop…. Please… I… I don't want to lose you too."

Konan held tightly from behind as she trembled from the emotions. Her memory made her realize something truly important. Naruto was the only thing she had left and Naruto was about to follow the same path Nagato walked. Naruto can't fall off from his path to peace, not when he's so close. She had complete faith in him. This time she realized the mistake of her inaction with Nagato and now she finally decided that she would do something about it instead of standing back and doing nothing. That's why she didn't want to let Naruto go. She couldn't let Naruto go. She would be giving up on him if she did. She had to stay strong, if at least to get him to put his anger in check. She had to be his pillar of strength right now.

"You're… important to me Naruto-kun," Konan started with a quiver in her voice, "You've taught me that I should move on and that I should have faith not only in you, but with the rest of the people in the world. Please… Naruto-kun, move on from Sakura's death," Konan felt Naruto flinch under her arms and she heard an animalistic whine in sadness, "Yes, it will hurt for a while, but that's why you should move on. Remember, this is one of the steps for peace. Forget the pain, but don't forget the person. Always remember that she will be with you in spirit. She will live in your heart forever Naruto-kun…" Konan had streams of liquid sadness streaming down her face while she spoke with a soft shaky tone and sad smile, "So… Please… Naruto-kun… Let it go."

These few moments felt like ages, but it was a good sign. Naruto's cloak receded back within the Jinchuuriki and He started losing his tails, eventually leaving nothing but his slightly burnt skin and his clothes on his back. His breathing was rapid from exhaustion and tears made their way down his cheeks as he heaved in sadness. Konan continued to hold onto him as she rubbed his stomach in a soothing motion and was gently crying on his shoulder, "It's alright Naruto-kun. I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

The Jinchuuriki opened his eyes and gazed his now blue eyes back at Konan's face by his neck before he turned around and embraced her forcefully. She was surprised by the sudden attachment, but she relished the feeling and continued to wrap her arms around his sobbing figure, _'I will be your pillar, Naruto-kun. I won't hold back anymore and I will support you. I think… it's the least I could do for what you've done for me.'_

Sasuke looked on in silence as he stared at the sickeningly sweet moment. It secretly made him wish that his mother could do the same for him and he only narrowed his eyes at the scene. The time was coming for his revenge. It wouldn't take too long for him to achieve his retribution. For now though, he had to stay alive, so he waited patiently until Madara appeared.

Kakashi looked over in shock at the scene that fell before him, "I don't believe it. She actually pacified Naruto. His lone eye widened as he saw the chakra that surrounded Naruto slowly dissipate, until it disappeared. He was only left with questions as Yamato appeared through the trees in a violent rush.

"What's going on!? What happened?"

Kakashi held his eye to the lifeless form beside his feet.

"Is she…"

Kakashi nodded sadly as he stared at the deceased female and spoke firmly, "Not only that, Naruto went out of control after he realized that she died. He began releasing the nine tails chakra."

"What!?" The wood user yelled in fear, "Where is he?"

Kakashi pointed over to the distance at two people embracing firmly and a third person a little further in the background, "Konan-san went out there to stop him. She somehow calmed him down just moments before you arrived."

"I-It's a miracle," Yamato stated in awe. He was absolutely shocked that Konan was able to suppress his chakra and calm his emotions. He never heard of Naruto ever being able to suppress the rage on his own. Not even Jiraiya could prevent him from going completely insane whenever Naruto let the Nine-tails chakra consume him, _'If she wasn't here, Naruto would have erupted into full nine-tails and went out of control,' _He looked onto the scene before him and felt a small smile form on his face, '_There really is something different about her…'_

Soon after, a swirling vortex appeared beside Sasuke and Madara emerged from the hole. He took a glance at the scene and pondered momentarily before looking back to Sasuke, "I thought I told you to rest?"

Sasuke did a loud snort before turning his eyesight, "I had a little run into trouble."

"Well, for now," Tobi started while gazing interestingly at the two locked in an embrace, "We're going to have to retreat. I will set up another time for you to fight the nine-tails, for now you need to rest. Let's go Sasuke."

The young Uchiha turned his head back to his ex-friend and the ex-Akatsuki member before closing his eyes and furrowing his eyebrows in anger, "Madara… I'll talk to you later."

The masked man said nothing as he swirled Sasuke in the eye vortex before doing the same to himself and leaving the ground before them completely empty.

**Author's Note: I think I'm gonna end it here. It would go on forever if I continued it, so I have to cut. Anyway, I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I spent more time on it so that I could really focus on the content and make sure I get everything right. I try my best to make every chapter over 3000 words, but I'm usually writing 4000+ which is good news. **

**So yeah, my first true fight scene. Not so great, but it went better than I thought it would.**

**More interesting things are going to happen in the next chapter. There will be some questions answered and some plot advances. **

**Anyway, thank you so much for reading my chapter. I really appreciate the support. Leave a review if you can.**

**Be safe everyone. Peace.**

**Next Chapter: Chapter 16- Trials**


	16. Chapter 16: Trials

**Chapter 16: Trials**

**Talking: **"Talking"

**Thinking: **_'Thinking'_

The drippings of rain cascaded their way down the window as the clouds darkened the afternoon sky in rumbling beauty. It was as if they were to signify some type of unfortunate accident in their occurrence. Something unfortunate did happen that day; something that would forever change the future into unknown territory confusion. An orange haired young man lay silent on his couch as he replayed the ever menacing and haunting thoughts that plagued his mind. It was just so defiant of his nature but he relished the thought of being alone in his own home. Away from everyone and all the sadness, although he couldn't necessarily escape either of them.

Naruto sat silently in constant thought. Things felt different to him and his head was spiraling. No more was it the same as it used to be and he could only wonder just how farther things will go before he loses himself. Why was this a reality? It seemed so unbelievable. He never put it into perspective that Sakura could actually… die. It almost became unbearable to sit at her funeral.

**Flashback***

_The funeral was unusually quiet. No one in the audience was aware that this would happen. Some ninja more than others knew that this was just a part of life. Things happened in the ninja world that just couldn't be helped. They lowered their heads in pity as the spoken words were told. Naruto sat silently as Sakura rested within her coffin. Konan stood quietly behind him in sorrow. She didn't wear any makeup, nor did she wear her vest. She was allowed to wear black for this very rare occasion. This moment was for Naruto. It was for his inner peace. He had to figure this out, even if he didn't like the idea, just as she had to herself, 'Naruto-kun… I'm sorry.'_

_Naruto couldn't believe it. His love died before his very eyes. How could this happen to him? He thought they would end up together and marry someday. Possibly have a big house with three kids ands live up to his name as being Hokage. He was hoping for that to happen at least. Now that would never come to pass. This was the ultimate rejection that could be given to him. Naruto couldn't have been more rejected than this. He couldn't have her after all. Smell her. Touch her. Laugh with her. Smile with her. Love with her. Cry with her. _

_Why did this happen? If only he was there faster, it wouldn't have gone this far. He would have saved her and stopped Sasuke from doing this untimely deed. Another stream fell down his cheek as he sat there silently. His body started to heave. He was almost losing himself. _

**Tap***

Naruto's eyes opened wide as he saw Konan's hand on his shoulder. She looked at him in remorse as she saw the colour faded from his eyes. He looked dead and it didn't seem like anything was helping him at all. His sorrow and grief was just only a constant reminder, "Naruto-kun… Are you still thinking of the funeral?"

The orange haired boy slowly lowered his head. He started crying again with sobs and threw his palms to his face. His hands wiped the heartbreak from his eyes, but it wouldn't stop dripping the pieces, "I-I'm such a fool Konan-chan," He brought his squinted puffy eyes to match hers, "I wasn't there to save her in time. It's all my fault!"

"No! Naruto-kun, it's not your fault. It was no ones fault. It was just something that couldn't be changed," Konan looked upon him with determination just hoping that it would put his thoughts to rest, to at least give him a little mental clarity.

Naruto looked at her fiercely as more tears steadily dropped down his whiskered cheeks. Even just the thought of being helpless infuriated him, " I would have changed it! She would still be safe with me! Nothing would have happened to her because I would have been protecting her! It would have never been this way! I don't ev-"

**Slap**

Naruto staggered on his feet as Konan placed her palm across his face. The slap came completely by surprise, as he looked at her with shock evident on his face.

"You can't change anything!" Konan stated bluntly, "No matter how many times you cry or however many times you say you could have done something, the fact of the matter is that she is **GONE**! You can't continue to live your life in wondering what could have happened. You have to move on from this!"

Naruto lowered his head again as he slumped in defeat.

"Naruto-kun…" Konan sighed softly and gazed at him in regret. She saw the heartbreak in his eyes. His fire was slowly fading. The strength gave way from his body and he started to swoon. She had to be strong for him. This is his needed moment. She couldn't leave him this way. She gradually walked closer to him and just before he started to move, she wrapped her arms tightly around his body and left him there. Her hand made it to the back of his scalp and she gently ruffled his hair in comfort. The shock set into the orange haired Genin, as he processed Konan's hug. Air escaped his lungs but no words emerged from his breath, "There was nothing you could do. You saw it yourself. No matter how much time we saved, we wouldn't have been able to stop it. It was her time. Sakura-san can rest peacefully now. You have to move on Naruto-kun."

The tears fell even harder as Naruto started sobbing uncontrollably onto her shirt. It didn't take him long as he started to release all of that built up stress that he had been bottling up within ever since her death, "I-It's just s-so hard K-Konan-chan! Nothing is the same without her! I don't know what to do anymore."

"Just relax Naruto-kun. Everything will be alright," Konan felt her heart break from the intensity of his frailness that began to overtake her. She felt the tears dampen onto her shirt as he trembled and released his stress. Just seeing him this way really left her speechless. This is what she must have looked like whenever she did it to him. Her eyes widened at the realization, _'I was just like this. Is Naruto really…'_ Konan looked to Naruto slowly and saw him shivering and grasping at Konan like a newborn child to a mother.

**Flashback***

_The night was dreadful. The earlier portion of the day left her feeling drained. She had no idea it would be this way. Things had become easy recently and it felt like she would never feel this pain, but it fell before her with no warning. He always promised to be safe. He always promised to be there. _

_He was gone… _

_The silence was deadening and laced thick with tension. Nagato didn't utter a peep and stared blankly in a corner as Konan tried to heal him. He already knew… He knew just how severe the Jutsu was. The damage was far beyond repair. The chakra rods shattered and split many different areas of his lower spine and he could barely move his hands from the damage everything caused. He was lucky to even move at all. She never removed the rods for fear of permanent damage, so she had to work around them to try and mend the few things that she could feel. After she tried everything that she could, she couldn't help but tear up at Nagato's state. She started sniffling as she tried again and kept moving up and down his body to repair something. Anything._

"_Konan…"_

_The woman stopped instantly as her name was called. Her eyes widened in worry as Nagato remained face forward and motionless, "Go back to your room. I'm fine as I am."_

"_No you're not!" She retorted fiercely. Her teeth gnashed in frustration, "I have to figure out how to fix you. Just give me time! I can't leave you like this…"_

_Nagato remained silent and unmoving. It was a little scary and slightly ominous. He didn't have that fire that she used to see within him and she wondered just how far her friend truly changed, "Just go to your room. I'm paying the price for my actions. Don't worry about me. There is nothing you can do. So please…" The man lowered his head and a tear rolled down his cheek as he continued, "Please leave me be."_

_She never thought it would be that way. Just the thought seemed so foreign to her. She left his sight and ran to her room with it closed off and left nothing to anyone. Not a word was spoken between Konan and Nagato after she left him there for the rest of the night. She could see the lifelessness that echoed in his purple rings and it only brought on more remorse for their dead comrade, Yahiko. It didn't take him long after she closed the door that he started yelling and throwing things in his room. Konan could only tear up in grief and cry at her friend's behavior. She couldn't do anything for him and it was just tearing her apart. _

_She opened her door and quickly closed it in a fervent attempt to hide away. She screamed in agony so loud that her teeth rattled from the intensity. After her explosion, she slumped to the floor like a ragdoll and cried pools of tears upon the floor. Her makeup washed up against her skin and left streaks as she continued. She had no comfort. She had no support. Nagato never wanted to speak to her whenever he was in pain this way. She could only vent to herself. She was alone and not a soul really cared that she was this way. She cradled herself deeply within her own legs and arms and lay silent hours after her tears ran dry._

_It wasn't long until after she stopped crying that she became motionless. Her mind fell victim to the harsh reality of life. She was drained of her very essence, 'It was only a matter of time…' She thought absentmindedly, 'It doesn't matter anymore. Life is easier without the heartache. I can't shelter the burden of having someone to love. They would just die in the end,' Her thoughts only trailed downward in despair as she continued lying catatonic, 'This is what I am… This is what I've become… My tears hold no weight if my commitment is only failure… I won't do it anymore,' Konan lay there silently as she pushed her thoughts so forcefully and blocked anything that could be redeemable. They were pushed into the far corners of her mind, locked away hoping to never be touched again. She fell asleep, dead to emotion and dead to everyone else around her. No more would anything get the better of her. No more would she live that life of false hope. No more faith. There laid someone who was hurt far beyond what she had ever believed. Never believing that she would ever recover from this…_

_**End Flashback**__*_

Drip.

Drip..

Drip…

The blue haired woman lifted her hand to her face and noticed that her eyes were moist. The revelation shocked her to her very core remembering just what happened. Her mind was so dark back then. She never believed it to be true. It didn't seem plausible at all. Her grip tightened on Naruto as she held him in her arms. Her heaving increased as she embraced him forcefully, almost suffocating him from the hold.

The Jinchuuriki brought his head up to realize that she was… crying. She was crying again just as he was. He looked at her momentarily with question in his eyes as just for a split second, he forgot about Sakura's death. Not knowing what else to do, he held onto her tighter while Konan's grip matched and didn't want to let go. The woman noticed his stir and realized that it was becoming uncomfortable. She slowly nudged Naruto to his room and surprised him as they looked at each other. He looked into her eyes and saw the genuine feeling behind the gesture. After a solid moment of thought, he nodded his head in agreement and slowly went to his room with her.

She lay down on his bed and pushed herself against the pillow to get comfortable. The pillow felt so inviting to her and her eyes closed momentarily to the sweet sensation. Naruto came around and pushed his knees on top of the mattress. Konan looked at him deeply within his eyes as she observed him moving closer to her frame. She noticed him hesitate as he stopped midway to her. The orange boy was lying on the bed but was giving the woman personal space. Her face lifted to a small half smile as she noticed his coy demeanor. Noticing his distress, Konan pulled him closer to her and pushed his nose to her neck. She pulled her arms around him and wrapped him deeply within her body. She also wrapped her legs around his own and that made him worry, but only for a slight second before he relaxed and got lost in the contact. Naruto's arms lowered in defeat as they snaked their way around Konan's figure and gripped her back strongly. He felt even more so the urge to cry. This was the most human contact that anyone has ever given him. She almost felt… familiar to him.

Konan didn't know if she was doing the right thing, but she felt that this was the best thing to do. Her tears kept flowing even though she didn't feel any sadness. She just felt… joy. The most joy any person could ever feel. She felt this feeling deep within that was just bubbling to the surface. It was all because of him. This light that he carried around. Everything about him made everything better, "Naruto-kun… Thank you for everything that you have done for me," She whispered softly to him as she continued, "I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for you. You really pulled me from what I used to be and I never thought I would ever recover from this emotional failure. You've proved me wrong and I couldn't be happier. Just thank you Naruto. You really gave me order within my mind. …Naruto?"

She slowly pushed him to see if he was awake. What she got was a loud snore and a moved leg. She giggled softly as she slowly looked down to his face. She saw the wet stains that were left on his face due to the earlier emotional sessions. But saw this peaceful expression that laid upon his whiskered face that defied his earlier episode. Konan's eyes darted from left to right in embarrassment and unsure if she should do it, _'I don't think it should be a problem… After all… he did do so much for me. It's the least I can do…'_ Her eyes lowered half-closed as she smiled at his sleeping form. Before she knew it, she lowered her mouth to his face and softly kissed his forehead. Surprisingly, she stayed there for several moments before she removed it a little quickly for fear of Naruto waking up, _'I don't ever want to lose you. Please don't leave me either. You're the only thing I have left…'_

Her eyes fell closed and the warmth from Naruto really drew her to snuggle a little more deeply into him. The body contact was so nice that she could lay in bliss from this embrace forever. She hasn't had this in a long time…

**Author's Note: Hey all! I'm back! Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great several months. It's been so crazy for me. A lot of awesome stuff happened and I've been pretty happy recently. I'm not giving up on this story ever. If you feel that way, then don't because this story will always be updated eventually. I reminded that many many times. **

**There was an Easter egg within the chapter. Kudos to anyone who knows. :) **

**Next Chapter- Chapter 17: Unknown Future**


	17. Chapter 17: Unknown Future

**Author's Notes: I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK. ;D Wow. It took me a whole entire year to write the next chapter. Haha. I feel so ashamed of myself. But here it is. Too many contributing factors lead to me being on this long Hiatus. But Don't worry. I have been writing with a new and fresh feeling. This chapter was written in under a week. I'm gonna be writing a lot more from here on out. I feel like my fans deserve it. **

**To all of the Reviewers and fans. You guys are amazing. The reviews I've received this past year are all heartfelt and I really appreciate it. They are my fuel and I get this giddy feeling knowing that I'm inspiring someone or making their day by reading my material. So, Once again, Like I've said in other chapters. Thank you! Thank YOU! Everyone deserves cookies.**

Chapter 17- Unknown Future

**Speaking:** "Speaking"

**Thinking:** _'Thinking'_

Warmth… Warmth filled Naruto's mind as he thought such sweet thoughts. Never was there a time he felt calmer than this moment in time. Nothing could compare to this blissful silence that encumbered him and his bedroom. The dreams that he replayed in his mind were nice. It wasn't like usual and he couldn't remember a time that he slept through the entire night without waking up. That in itself was unusual in the least. It was almost like his body was just floating in euphoria. The dreams he had were some of the more wishful ideals. Some of them didn't really make any sense and others were far more interesting than he ever really expected, but the thing that really set them apart the most was the fact that they were all calming and soothing dreams. He didn't have one nightmare last night and that was a very big change to what he was used to.

His eyes were left closed and the heat that protruded to his face was so relaxing that he pushed his face further into the softness. He wanted the feeling to last longer. He didn't really pay attention because his mind was groggy, but he didn't really care. All he knew was that the bed was too inviting to leave just yet.

"Nmmmhhh…"

Naruto felt something wrap around his head a little more forcefully. He felt something else move underneath the covers and touch his leg, _'I'm just dreaming…' _He thought trying to ignore the weird sensations around his body. He remembered that there were these instances in which he would be dreaming while feeling awake. A couple of years ago, he asked Jiraiya about these strange phenomenon that occur and the Sage only replied that they were something called Lucid Dreams. The orange haired boy liked the term and it fit the scenario very well. He was just **dreaming**. That's all. Nothing more. Nothing less. He would eventually wake up entirely and just realize it was nothing. He pushed a little further into his pillow and relaxed his body again.

"Hmmmm…"

Once more, the force pulled his face closer and his nose pushed deeply within the soft texture. He felt a warm air hit his head as a sigh echoed throughout the room. _'Wait a minute… Something's not right. This feels too real to be a dream… And I can't breathe,'_ He slowly cracked his heavy eyelids open to reveal his deep blue eyes and then it dawned on him. The thought struck him instantly and he panicked. _'That's right! I was crying and Konan comforted me! She… We fell asleep together!'_ His mind screeched to a halt as he put everything together. His face was pushed very roughly against Konan's… His face was touching… Getting better associated to his laying position, he realized a few other unexpected occurrences. His right arm was laid over her waist and placed against her bottom. His pupils dilated as he registered this exciting feeling that laid across his palm. As these thoughts raced around his mind, he realized that he had to use the restroom… really badly. Then he realized something far more dangerous was approaching as he felt his lower region was as stiff as a board, _'It's touching her! Oh my God! I'm so dead if she wakes up this way! What do I do!?'_ Naruto asked himself in thought, _'I should think this rationally. I am a ninja after all and this could be a life or death situation,'_ He decided that he should first move his hand off of her butt and slide upwards so it would seem as if he were still sleeping and it could rest somewhere on her upper torso. He took a soft and uneasy breath and started to slowly move his hand. It rubbed slowly against the fabric of her pants as he continued to move upward. Tensions rose highly as he continued playing with fire. Feeling the hand finally leaving the waistband, he breathed a sigh of relief, _'Good. Now just a little further.'_

"Do you feel better Naruto-kun?"

His heart stopped beating and his mind fell into an empty abyss. The unthinkable voice echoed in the room, completely shattering the silence that blanketed the room for so long. His mouth was far too dry to answer that question. Licking his lips and clearing his throat, he answered, "Y-Yeah…"

There was no answer back after some moments and Naruto became scared of what was about to be said next, _'I hope she doesn't bring it up. Please don't say anything about it. Please don-'_

"Hmmmm… Good," She replied sleepily, completely unfazed by their embrace.

'_Thank you, thank you, thank you!' _Naruto thought in relief. Sighing softly he asked, "Do you think we should get up now?"

"Noo…" Konan said in a soft pout, "I think… I want to lay like this for a little longer…"

Naruto blushed heavily at her response. She didn't want to get up? That was a first. Was she actually _enjoying_ their embrace? Although, he was quite sure that she was too tired to notice their predicament, he still didn't mind the fact that maybe he enjoyed this position for more than he would have thought possible before. Knowing that he had to use the restroom, he reluctantly sighed in defeat as he started to get up.

Konan whined softly as Naruto pulled himself off of her and stretched his wide shoulders apart. He placed his hands over his crotch and stumbled over his own feet while making his way to the only escape that he had from their little snuggle.

A click echoed throughout the room as Konan laid in a half sleepy daze. The light danced on the walls as it peeped over her shoulder from the window, silently asking her to wake up. She winced lightly as she sat up and threw her hands in the air. A loud moan elicited from her mouth as the muscles stretched throughout her body, _'That was the best sleep I've ever had,' _She thought absentmindedly. She looked over to her right and saw a small brown bird resting on the windowsill. A smile crept upon her face and she slowly strolled over to the bird. Such a fascinating little animal. Although butterflies were always first on her list, Konan always had an admiration for birds. She loved flying creatures. Just the thought of flight sent wonderful imagery to her mind. She always used to imagine soaring over the skies and through the horizon to see the beautiful scenery. Those thoughts made her think of another reason why she wanted to fly.

She wanted to get away. When she lost her parents and was left for dead, she just wanted an escape. Flying felt free and adventurous. It was a way to break free from her emotional chains. She just wanted that freedom away from the pain and the loneliness. After she met Yahiko, those feelings became less and less, but she still daydreamed of reaching the clouds. She softly opened the window and gently lowered her hand to the bird. It chirped once before landing on her index finger happily. Konan chuckled softly at the little birds display.

"Man, Konan-chan, you have a way with animals."

Konan turned to see Naruto smiling warmly at her. The bird felt intimidated before it quickly flew away into the trees and out of sight.

"Sigh, Naruto-kun, how are you feeling?" Konan brushed her hair softly away parting with intertwining fingers. Her eyes glowed softly from the sun as she looked upon his face for an answer.

"Eh? Hey, let's not worry about that," He replied with a soft chuckle, "I'm okay now. It's not really a big deal anymore." _'Why am I saying that?'_

Her features softened upon his answer but still, she couldn't help but feel that maybe his answer wasn't entirely true. Sakura's death was a big tragedy to everyone in the Leaf village, but it was the worst thing that could have ever happened to Naruto. It wasn't just his crush. It was one of his best friends. Someone he was trying to help. It was an important goal that he had to accomplish.

"Naruto-kun," She started seriously, "What are your plans now about Sasuke? Are you going to still go after him?"

The boy's smile faded as his gaze faltered to the floor. For some reason, the carpet was more interesting than usual. Konan noticing his unusual reaction quickly continued, "I mean, if you don't want to answer, you don't have to… I was just… Well… Nevermind," She pivoted on her heel and sauntered to the bedroom door, "I'll just make us breakfast," Without much time wasted, she smiled awkwardly and exited the room leaving Naruto to his thoughts.

'_What__** am**__ I going to do?'_ He thought quietly. His mouth tightened into a line while he rested on the bed, _'Sasuke…'_ His teeth clenched in resentment at the thought of his longtime friend, _'You killed Sakura. How COULD YOU!?'_ His fist slammed forcefully on the sun bathed blankets causing particles to scatter like pixie dust, _'Sasuke, I don't know if I can forgive you for this. You betrayed us. You betrayed everyone.'_ The orange haired boy sighed in exasperation, "I can only hope… maybe you have something left within you…"

The blue haired woman cooked absentmindedly, occasionally stirring the soup within the pot. Her eyes would look over the boiling contents but was never actually looking at them. She was preoccupied with this disturbance, '_Maybe I should have asked more questions. Dug a little further…. Maybe Naruto would have been more eased? No, that won't work. These wounds are still fresh for him.'_

A loud thumping echoed through the empty hallway. Its sound was deafening or at least it seemed that way. Konan looked over and saw Naruto with a blank expression as his heavy feet slowly thrashed the wooden floors. Without looking at the other occupant in the room, he grabbed some bowls from the shelf and placed them on the counter before he sat down and proceeded to twiddle his thumbs.

Konan grabbed his bowl and quickly poured some of the soup with many vegetables within. After all of the food that the villagers gave Naruto, he had too many foods stacked upon stacks. She decided to help him get rid of it. It was a good thing that she knew how to cook. She poured more of the soup into her bowl and sat down adjacent to the stumped boy, "Sorry that it's not Ramen. I know you wanted some, but we have so much food in the house that I have to use some of it at least."

Naruto snapped out of his daze and considered his food, "Oh, hey, you made us food… Wow!" A smile etched across his face as he observed the steam that protruded from his meal. He took a big whiff and breathed out in happiness, "Man, this smells amazing. Not as great as ramen of course, but still this comes very close."

Ignoring that blunt remark, Konan smiled when she saw Naruto munching away at his soup, "Yes, We have too much food at home. Even this morning, I found some eggs, bread, and a few canned foods laying at the front door. It seems even now, the people in your village really are thankful you saved them."

"Mhmm," Naruto mumbled as he scarfed down the vegetables to his never-ending ramen stomach, "Gulp, yeah, I don't know what to say to them. Eh heh. I don't want to be rude or anything and I actually kinda like the hospitality that has been given to me recently."

The blue haired woman continued to smile. She knew that Naruto really enjoyed this. It was his shining moment. He achieved a victory for his village. Konan remembered Nagato but quickly shoved those thoughts down, _'What am I doing? Now's not the time to think about that.'_

They ate silently for a while. It seemed a little awkward because normally they would both smile and have a seemingly infinite conversation, but here they are, both sides couldn't even start anything remotely interesting. It came down to the last moment, Naruto got up and decided to get another bowl of soup. Konan noticed, "No, Naruto-kun, I can get it for you. You don't have to get up."

"Nah, It's okay Konan-chan," He replied softly while lifting the lid, "I can get it myself. It's not a problem."

"Naruto-kun, you should just rest," She said while she attempted to grab for his bowl, "You've been th-"

"I can do it on my own!" The boy screamed while ripping the bowl from her fingertips, "I don't need anyone's help!"

Konan's eyes widened at Naruto's outburst, "Naruto-kun…"

The Jinchuuriki sighed with furrowed eyebrows. He surprised himself with his words more than he would like to admit. He gazed into Konan's eyes and saw sadness and confusion within her bright amber irises. It was amazing to Naruto how much he could see just from her eyes and right now, he was seeing something that he didn't want to see. He mindlessly placed his bowl on the counter and turned to Konan.

She followed his movements with her eyes and noticed his disdain and forlorn afterthought that came to him without much haste. Suddenly, she felt two arms embrace her figure and a chin pressed against her shoulder. After a few moments, she closed her eyes and involuntarily sighed in his squeeze. Unknowingly to Konan, his arms felt comforting to her and every time they did this, she could only let go of whatever it was she was feeling.

"Sorry, Konan-chan," He mumbled over her shoulder, "I shouldn't have done that. I honestly don't know what came over me. I've been more emotional than usual…"

"Hmm," She sighed, "There's no need to apologize. I understand…" Pulling him apart from her, she smiled at him genuinely, "You're still upset and it's okay. I believe you will find whatever answer you need within your heart. I have complete faith in you."

Naruto stared at the woman in front of him. Her words made him feel warm within his stomach. No one has ever made him feel that way. Sakura probably made him have butterflies, but his love was unrequited. He knew deep down that maybe he shouldn't chase after Sakura because of her unforgiving love toward Sasuke. Still, there was that piece of him that told him to keep trying again and again. Maybe after all of that, then he would finally get an answer that he had been wanting all along.

'_But what is this?' _Naruto didn't understand what he was feeling, "Konan-chan."

Without warning, Naruto grasped her again. This time, he held her firmly and didn't give her any wiggle room.

"N-Naruto?" Konan breathed out.

"I'm sorry!" He bellowed uncontrollably, "I don't want to stop!"

This hug didn't feel like a normal hug. She felt a wanting from Naruto that wasn't usual with their other hugs. He didn't utter a peep as he continued his actions. Konan tried to move but to no avail. His strength from his training has really shown in this moment and she couldn't deny that maybe she was liking it more than she would care to admit. Her arms fell down in defeat and her eyes closed in satisfaction. She started feeling an uncertain sensation within her body and it made her nervous. That sensation felt strangely warmer than she remembered, _'Am I __**blushing**__? I'm blushing! I can't be blushing because of him!?'_

"Eh? We mighta summoned ya at the wrong time."

"Huh?"

Both Naruto and Konan's eyes opened wide when they heard that. It wasn't either of their voices and Naruto heard it as well so hearing voices in her head wasn't the answer either. It smells different. Weren't they alone?

"Hey! Don' act surprised! We reversed summoned ya before," A small female toad shrieked.

"Oh, Wait, I was reverse summoned?" Questioned Naruto as he rotated his head to look at his surroundings. He was indeed at Mt. Myouboku. The humid temperature was mainly the tell-tale sign but it wasn't long before he noticed that he was within the toad's home.

"Yeah mah boy," A male toad replied rather happily, "And not a moment too soon either… well, maybe a little soon."

"Huh, whaddya mean?"

"Ahem, The lass in yer arms," The female toad answered sneakily.

Naruto turned and saw his tight embrace still in effect with the woman in his arms. He saw the embarrassed look on Konan's face and… was she blushing? He ripped his arms away from her quickly while apologizing over and over again. Konan repeatedly tried to calm him down, but he seemed to be in his own world.

"Naruto mah boy, glad I could see ya again!" The male toad replied happily, "But puttin' all dat aside, we gotta take ya to the Great Lord Elder. He has some divine tellin' for yer future ya need to hear."

Naruto seemed intrigued from the toad's response and glimpsed over at Konan, "Oh, okay, Konan-chan, you will have to sit here while I-"

"Actually, Naruto," The male toad interjected, grabbing the attention of both humans, "Bring the lass with ya too. This concerns her as well."

"Wait, You can't be serious," Konan replied uneasily, "What does this have to do with me?"

"We're not sure," The female toad spoke up, "He only sed tha' he needs to see uh female with blue hair. I don' know."

Naruto and Konan both exchanged glances at each other before Naruto grinned, "Okay! Let's go see Gramps Sage!"

There was a pitter patter of feet along the dirt and grass. The toads kept the lead as Naruto and Konan fell slightly behind. Konan observed the scenery around her while they walked closer to the Elder Toad's location. She had such awe on her face and it made a small upward curve formed on Naruto's lips as he watched her curiosity peak, "You've never actually seen anything like this before have you?"

"No, I haven't seen anything like this at all," The woman said in wonder, "I have been to several countries but this realm is unlike any habitat I have ever had the chance to encounter. It's… beautiful."

"Yeah, I've been here a bunch of times, but this is only your second time being here," The orange haired boy responded while laying his hands behind his head.

"What?" The shock clearly evident upon her face, "I've been here before?"

"Oh yeah," The male toad's mind clicked, "I remember now. Yer the lass tha' Naruto brought in. He went through a lot of trouble bringin' ya back to his village. He even got the other toads in a fuss fer usin' the reverse summon technique. But I swear I ain't never seen such a passion in a young man's eyes than I did when he told us about ya," His eyes glanced to Konan, "He really had ta get ta ya and he ain't sucha bad kid so we did em uh favor."

"At first I didn't think it would work," Naruto replied rather dully, "I brought myself to Mt. Myouboku when I realized they could summon me. The only bad part was that they told me that I could only be reversed summoned from my previous location, another Toad Summoner, or from a Special Toad Teleportation Seal," His eyes darted downward when past memories began flourishing his mind, "The toad's told me it was impossible to summon myself on my old Master."

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun," The paper user replied solemnly with clasped hands, "If I could have taken it back, I would have already done it long ago."

"No, no!" The boy retorted dismissing her apology and gave a half convincing smile, "It's okay. I'm sure Jiraiya-sama would be kinda glad how things worked out. It's okay really," He looked over and knew Konan was feeling guilty for helping kill their mentor, but Naruto knew that deep down, she never wanted this to happen. Pushing all of that aside for the moment, he continued, "The only other option that I had was using a Special Toad Teleportation Seal. The Pervy Sage actually had an escape just in case he was in danger. Remember his giant scroll on his back?" The woman nodded, "Luckily, Pervy Sage made this seal a long time ago specifically for deadly situations where he knew there was a possibility he wouldn't return. He would leave his scroll that he had on his back at Konoha or somewhere far enough away to give him an escape when it was dire. These two guys," The boy pointed at the two toads, "Told me that Pervy Sage dropped his scroll during his fight with Nagato and his Paths. This seal can only be used twice, so I summoned myself there and summoned myself back to Mt. Myouboku after I rescued you, then finally, I was reversed summoned back to Konoha by the Toads."

"Ya gave us a lotta trouble you little twit," The female toad hollered, "But… if it wasn' fer you, this lady wouldn'a been saved."

"I'm just glad that I made it in time," Naruto responded happily, "Who knows what would have happened if I didn't show up."

"Yeah…" Konan answered despondently. Thinking back upon it now sent shivers up her spine. There was no mistake she was one breath away from death. If Naruto was just a minute later, she would have died. These thoughts haunted her daily and it was hard to just throw it away as something worthless or useless.

"Oh! Hey Giant Gramps Sage! It's been a while hasn't it?" Naruto yelled loudly at a gargantuan toad on an even larger stone chair. The old toad peered through cracks in his eyelids looking at a blurry orange haired man in close proximity.

"I brought the boy for ya Great Lord," The small male toad responded while hopping next to Naruto.

"Ah yes," The big toad answered, "I have summoned thee, but ahm, who are you again?"

Naruto threw his hands to his face, _'Gramps forgets everything.'_ "I'm Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Yes! Yes! Naruto! That's right! I have summoned you," The toad croaked tiredly, "I have not only summoned you, but also an angel with blue hair. …Is she with you?"

"My name is Konan. It is an honour to meet you," She bowed politely.

The toad smiled a little as he spoke again, "Naruto, You will meet an octopus soon. I couldn't see it clearly, but I indeed saw octopus legs."

"Octopus?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"That is correct," The toad continued, "Another vision involves you fighting a being who finds power within his eyes."

"I already know that," Naruto replied in distaste, "And I already have an idea on what I'm going to do."

"You know what this person is?" The toad asked curious to Naruto's conclusions.

"Yes, I have a plan, although I don't really know what I'm going to do yet, but I need time to figure it out for myself."

The toad's curiosity peaked at Naruto's answer but he humbly let the boy be, "So be it Uzumaki Naruto," The giant toad's head turned slightly at the woman, "Konan, I've had several dreams that contradict one another of you," This brought everyone's attention to the elder toad, including the smaller toads, "One shows that you have already deceased and yet you are still here. It is not common that I have dreams that predict altered realities. How have you survived this long?"

"Uzumaki Naruto saved me from my impendent fate. He found me and protected me from the clutches of an evil man with the help of my long time and deceased friend Nagato," She answered truthfully, "If it wasn't for Nagato realizing my conditions and giving Naruto the help he needed to find me, I wouldn't have survived at all."

The large toad grunted through his flared wrinkled nostrils, "The one named Nagato somehow caused a shift in fate. Could he see into the future? Given to what has happened before his passing, new futures have appeared in my dreams," He grumbled momentarily before continuing, "I saw a blue haired angel protecting Naruto as the world came together to fight. I will assume that is you, young one," Konan nodded ever so softly. She was known throughout her country as God's Angel for her paper wings and being Pain's right hand for anything to do with the village or fighting, "I have already indebted myself to Naruto. I will do anything and everything I can to protect him. He is the key to saving all of us."

The toad looked over to the woman quietly as he pondered her words. The look gave a serious atmosphere to everyone in the vicinity. Before anyone could speak, the elder toad spoke up, "Konan of Amegakure, I have also foreseen you and Naruto working together with the toads and using them to your advantage. Gamatora," The other medium sized toad left in the room looked up at the Elder, "I have also seen you within a dream where you stored yourself within Naruto. You may give the Fourth's Key Seal to Naruto. Naruto, please summon the Toad Summoning Scroll for Konan to place her name upon."

"What?" Konan quickly retorted with widened eyes, "T-There's no way I can… I can't use…. I'm not worthy Elder Toad Sage. Please forgive me."

Fukasaku saw Konan's distress, "Ey, take it easy lass. It's not common that tha Elder ever gives tha special summonin' scroll to just anyone. You should feel proud that ya are receivin' the right."

"B-But I, I'm not worthy. I've even helped in the death of Jiraiya-sama. There's no way that I can possibly be forgiven for this…"

"Konan-chan, it's alright," Naruto butted in with a smile, "They already know about all of this stuff. The Elder Toad seems to like you. I don't know what he's seen but he is helping us," Konan looked back up to the Elder Toad before she fell to her knees with her head rubbing against the ground, "I'm sorry Elder Toad. Please forgive me for killing your disciple. I promise from this moment forward, I will treat your kind as I would a brother or sister. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I will not let you down."

The elder toad looked at her sternly before he let out a deep chuckle, "Get up, young one. It's alright," The woman mentioned looked up in confusion, "You have proven your worth long ago. You have as much right as Naruto to use our prestigious clan. Please Naruto, Gather the scroll and let Konan sign it."

Complying to the Elder Toad's commands, the boy bit his thumb, wiped the blood on his palm. He threw several hand seals before he slammed his pam into the ground in a forceful action, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

*Bomf*

A bigger toad about the height of Naruto appeared through the thick cloud of smoke. He had orange bumpy skin and blue markings appeared all over his body in unusual patterns. He only croaked once before he extended the scroll to the party with his slimy tongue. It dropped to the ground with a soft thud as Naruto thanked the toad. With haste, he opened the scroll to the next available slot. His features slowly changed into sadness as he noticed his master's name and prints stored within the scroll. But as quickly as they appeared, Naruto shifted gears and smiled tenderly as he gazed at Konan by his side, "Just bite your thumb with enough force to draw blood. Write your name and mark your fingers with blood on the bottom, Then you're all set!"

Gamatora, who's been quietly sitting at the Elder Toad's side, shifted quickly to respond to his commands, "Sir, I will pull the Fourth's Seal Scroll fer ya," He proceeded by expanding his body to shape a scroll in between his body and rolled out the scroll revealing the entire key. Naruto turned, "Just press yer fingers in the square. It will give ya what ya need to perfect the Jutsu that Jiraiya told ya about."

The boy looked at his hand in uncertainty, _'Could this really be it? This could be a lot harder than I anticipated. Am I really ready?'_

"You seem unsure Naruto-kun," Konan said with a slight frown upon her face, "Do you think you're ready for this?"

"Konan-chan," He responded with closed eyes, "I know that the Nine-tails can consume my will and be set free if I don't do this correctly. My only concern is that I won't be able to get rid of the anger that fills my heart when bad things happen to people close to me. I can't really take it, you know?" Konan nodded her head in understanding. She witnessed his rage firsthand and she didn't like it either. But deep down she knew that Naruto can accomplish it.

"Naruto-kun, I completely understand. It's difficult losing someone close to you or someone that you love. But think of it this way, you will need this chakra to challenge Sasuke, to challenge Madara and help your ultimate goal of saving your friends. Naruto-kun," She placed her hand upon his shoulder, "You have to do this for yourself. Show the Nine-Tails that you can overcome his will. That your will surpasses his Will of Hatred. I believe in you. Everyone in your village believes you can do anything."

Naruto kept his eyes closed in his cloud of thoughts. He felt the fire fill his belly as his confidence rose to all-time highs, _'This motivation. It feels good. I can do it. Everyone believes in me. Even Dad said he had faith in me. I have to trust in myself.'_ "You're right. I can't get depressed about it now. I have to control it!" He smiled bravely, summoned chakra to his fingertips, and pressed his fingers in the square area of the seal.

"Good," Gamatora replied in finality while closing the scroll, "Next step is tryin' ta find that octopus."

*Croaaak*

"Huh?" Naruto turned as he noticed Gama the toad staring at the young woman.

"Gama says that ya didn't finish writin' yer name," Gamatora answered.

"You didn't finish your name?" Naruto asked with a snort, "How could you forget that?"

Konan lowered her eyes, "I didn't think it was necessary to put my last name."

"We have ta have yer full name so we can complete the ritual," Fukusaku said, "If you don't put your full name then you won't be able to summon anything."

Konan sighed as she moseyed over to the scroll. She didn't want to put her last name on the scroll but she had no choice if she wanted to summon the toads effectively. Personally, she was trying to avoid placing her last name for fear of being known but she couldn't back down now, _'It's not like I can't trust anyone here. I'm safe here. I trust Naruto…'_

The boy in her thoughts walked over to her, curious to what her last name was because she never told him. He never even heard it. She kept it secretive and he couldn't lie and say that he didn't want to know. He had asked her once or twice but she always told him that it wasn't the best time to ask or that she just wanted it to be forgotten. That it was a part of her past that she never wanted to relive ever again. He always abided by her rule and just shrugged it off. It's not like it was hurting anyone anyway.

"Okay, I finished it,"

Naruto looked down at the scroll with a laugh and everything in the background went black. His eyes widened at what he saw. His heart sank at what was written down next to his name. There was no way in a million years. It just wasn't possible. How could he not have noticed before? He took it back. Now he knows why she didn't want anyone knowing. It was a dangerous name, especially because of where she was living. Being anonymous is what made her survive all these years.

Right above the five finger prints was written in formal letters and fresh red blood,

_Konan Senju._

_Next Chapter- Chapter 18: Old Ghosts_


End file.
